Mike Ferguson

In more than 5,200 games as a franchise, only four members of the Florida/Miami Marlins ever managed to hit three home runs in one game. The first one to do it at home accomplished the feat on this day 20 years ago. In the Florida Marlins’ 16-5 rout of the New York Mets, Cody Ross left the yard three times. He finished the day with four hits and tied a franchise single-game record with seven RBIs. Ross wasted little time making his presence felt at Dolphins Stadium on Sept. 11, 2006. After Aníbal Sánchez worked a 1-2-3 top of the first for Florida, Miguel Cabrera singled home the first run for the Marlins against New York starter David Williams in the bottom of the inning. With the Marlins leading 1-0, two on and two out, Ross worked a seven-pitch at-bat before taking the Mets’ lefty deep for a three-run bomb to extend the lead to 4-0. The Mets managed to cut the lead in half in the second on a two-run home run by former Marlins All-Star Cliff Floyd, but New York would get no closer. After Cabrera doubled home a pair in the bottom of the second, Sánchez helped himself with an RBI single in the third – an inning that Ross also singled in. With the Marlins leading 7-2 through three innings, New York’s Carlos Beltrán and Florida’s Dan Uggla traded solo blasts in the fourth inning. After Ross flied out in the fourth, Miguel Olivo singled home Cabrera to give Florida a 9-3 lead after four. That score would remain until the bottom of the sixth when Josh Willingham took Heath Bell deep for a solo shot to lead off the inning and extend the advantage to 10-3. After a Wes Helms double, Ross took Bell’s 2-0 pitch over the wall in left field for a two-run home run. After a scoreless seventh, Sánchez’s day was done; he allowed three runs on just four hits and one walk while striking out eight. Not done, however, was the Florida offense. Following a Jason Wood double and an error that scored a run in the bottom of the seventh, Helms plated the Marlins’ 14th run with an RBI fielder’s choice. Facing Royce Ring with one on and two outs, Ross worked another full count before going yard once again – and again to left field. That capped the scoring for Florida and put the exclamation point on a monster day for Ross. Trailing 16-3, the Mets were able to push across two runs against Florida’s José García, who was making his big-league debut, in the eighth. García bounced back to toss a 1-2-3 ninth to end the game. With the three home runs, Ross joined Mike Lowell as the only Marlins ever to homer three times in a game and became the first to do so in a contest that didn’t go to extra innings. Since then, Brian Anderson (Sept. 18, 2020) and Kyle Stowers (July 13, 2025) have since accomplished the feat for the Fish. Ross, however, is the only member of the club ever to hit three home runs in a game in the Marlins’ original ballpark. Those blasts came on this day two decades ago. View full article

In 34 years as a franchise, no pitcher threw more shutouts for the Florida/Miami Marlins than A.J. Burnett. Dontrelle Willis, however, did throw as many. On this day 20 years ago, Willis tied Burnett’s club record with his eighth career shutout. Willis allowed just three hits and tied a career-high with 12 strikeouts in the Florida Marlins’ 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies. Willis was looking for his fifth straight quality start as he took the Dolphins Stadium mound on Sept. 10, 2006. The Florida lefty struck out both Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley during a 1-2-3 first inning. By the time Willis returned to the hill, he had a 2-0 lead. The Marlins drew first blood in the bottom of the first on an RBI single from Miguel Cabrera that scored Hanley Ramírez. Dan Uggla scored to make it 2-0 on a sacrifice fly from Wes Helms later in the inning. Helms added a second sacrifice fly in the seventh. The biggest threat for Philadelphia came in the top of the second as Ryan Howard singled and Jeff Conine walked to open the inning. Willis responded by striking out Pat Burrell and Chris Coste before getting Abraham Núñez to line out to end the inning. After hitting Shane Victorino with two outs in the third, Willis faced the minimum over the final six innings, utilizing double plays in the fourth and fifth innings. Willis retired the final 13 batters he faced. For the day, Willis threw 122 pitches. He was ultra efficient during the middle innings, throwing just nine pitches in the fourth inning, five in the fifth and 10 in the sixth. Willis struck out Utley for the third time to end the contest. He also fanned Chris Coste three times in the win. Despite just the three runs, Florida finished with 10 hits and chased Phillies starter Cole Hamels after just four innings. Ramírez led the Marlins with three hits. Cabrera and catcher Matt Treanor each added a pair of knocks. Howard had two of the three hits for Philadelphia. After leading the National League with five shutouts in 2005, Willis’ gem against the Phillies would be his lone shutout of 2006. No one knew it at the time, but it would also be his final home victory as a member of the Marlins. It came on this day two decades ago. View full article

During his MVP season of 2017, Giancarlo Stanton set Miami Marlins records with 59 home runs and 132 RBIs. Prior to that, however, only one player in franchise history had ever hit 40 home runs in a season. The first member of the Fish to do it hit the 40-homer mark on this day 30 years ago. In the Florida Marlins’ 2-1 loss to the Montreal Expos, Gary Sheffield’s solo blast provided all the team’s offense. Sheffield hadn’t yet had a chance to swing the bat as he came to the plate in the bottom of the eighth to face Ugueth Urbina, a future World Series champion with the Marlins, at Pro Player Stadium on Sept. 7, 1996. After walking in his first three plate appearances, Sheffield fell behind 0-2 in the count, but the third pitch would be one he wouldn’t miss. Sheffield’s blast to left cleared the wall, broke up the shutout and cut the lead in half. It also ended Urbina’s night. Mel Rojas would come in and collect the final four outs for Montreal despite surrendering a walk in each inning. Despite allowing just an earned run in five innings, Marc Valdes took the loss for Florida. Mark Leiter tossed 6.2 shutout innings for Montreal to earn the win. Mark Lansing had three hits and an RBI for the Expos. Kurt Abbott had two of the five hits for Florida. Joe Osulak finished with three outfield assists for the Marlins. Sheffield would finish the 1996 season with 42 home runs—a club record that would last for 21 years. He remains one of just two Marlins to hit 40 homers in a season. He got there on this day three decades ago. View full article

In nearly three and a half decades as a franchise, six pitchers for the Florida/Miami Marlins have thrown no-hitters. The last to do so at the club’s original home stadium tossed his no-no on this day 20 years ago. In the rubber game of a three-game series at Dolphins Stadium on Sept. 6, 2006, Aníbal Sánchez worked around four walks to become the fourth Marlins pitcher to throw a no-hitter. Sánchez needed 103 pitches to no-hit the Arizona Diamondbacks in a 2-0 victory. Sánchez was perfect the first time through the Arizona order. For Diamondbacks starter Édgar González, however, that was not the case. Florida squandered a lead-off triple by Hanley Ramírez in the first, but went ahead for good in the second. Joe Borchard, who hit the go-ahead home run in the first game of the series against Arizona, put the Marlins in front in the second inning with a solo shot. That’s all Sánchez would need. Sánchez worked around a pair of one-out walks in the fourth by retiring Eric Byrnes and Chad Tracy on flyouts to left field. Miguel Cabrera extended the lead to 2-0 with a solo home run on the very first pitch from González in the bottom of the fourth. The Diamondbacks would bring the tying run to the plate in each of the next two innings, but Sánchez had answers. After working around an error to lead off the fifth, Sánchez needed just one pitch to get Byrnes to line out following a two-out walk to Luis Gonzalez in the sixth. The Marlins had just one hit after the fourth inning, but that was one more than Sánchez would allow for the evening. The right-hander worked a 1-2-3 seventh on just nine pitches before neutralizing a walk to former Marlins World Series hero Craig Counsell by getting the speedy Orlando Hudson to hit into an inning-ending double play in the eighth. Sánchez didn’t need to throw more than 10 pitches in any of his final three innings. Sánchez struck out Conor Jackson to open the ninth and then got Gonzalez to pop out. On an 0-1 pitch, Byrnes rolled a routine grounder to short. Ramírez took his time and fired a strike to first, getting Byrnes by half a step to complete the no-hitter. Sánchez finished with six strikeouts in the win. While Arizona had no hits, Borchard finished with two of the five hits for the Marlins. Sánchez flirted with no-hitters on other occasions throughout his career and even completed multiple one-hitters. His lone no-no, however, came for the Marlins on this day two decades ago. View full article

One of just 10 players to hit 100 home runs as a member of the Florida/Miami Marlins, Preston Wilson’s power was undeniable. In four full seasons with the Florida Marlins, Wilson hit at least 23 home runs every season. His only career walk-off blast, however, came on this day 25 years ago. Wilson worked a six-pitch at-bat before going the other way for a walk-off three-run home run as Florida rallied past the Chicago Cubs, 7-6. The Marlins had trailed by as many as four runs as they came to bat in the bottom of the ninth at Pro Player Stadium on Sept. 5, 2001. With Florida trailing 6-4, the Cubs turned to right-hander Tom Gordon, a former All-Star for the Boston Red Sox, to try to close it out. Pinch hitter John Mabry singled to open the inning and give the Marlins hope. After Luis Castillo hit into a fielder’s choice, Derrek Lee was hit by a pitch to put the tying run on base. Following a Cliff Floyd flyout, it was all up to Wilson. Regularly among baseball’s leaders in strikeouts, it wasn’t like Wilson to work long at-bats, but against Gordon, that’s what he did. Wilson fouled off a pair of two-strike pitches before getting a fastball up and on the outer half of the plate. Wilson was able to stay back and line it the other way and into the fifth row in right field for the walk-off blast. It was Gordon’s first blown save in nearly three months. For much of the night, late-game drama seemed unlikely. A two-run single by Ricky Gutiérrez and a two-run home run by Ron Coomer in the second inning gave Chicago an early 4-0 lead. The Marlins finally broke up the shutout on Kevin Millar’s RBI double in the sixth but the Cubs went back up by four with a run in the top of the eighth on Gutiérrez’s third RBI of the night. Florida got back into it with three runs in the bottom of the eighth. After Wilson reached on an error to score Floyd, Millar’s two-run homer made it 5-4. Eric Young’s RBI double in the top of the ninth looked to provide some insurance as it extended the Cubs’ lead to 6-4. With 104 home runs as a member of the club, Wilson ranks 10th on the Marlins’ all-time home run list. His only walk-off shot came against a three-time All-Star and on this day a quarter-century ago. View full article

With a three-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers to open the month of September 2006, the Florida Marlins became the first team in Major League Baseball history to get back to .500 after falling 20 games below earlier in the season. The very next night, they became the first team to get over .500 after falling 20 games below. They did so on this day 20 years ago and in improbable fashion. Down five runs in the sixth, the Marlins scored eight unanswered runs to stun the Arizona Diamondbacks in a Labor Day matinee, 8-5. As the Marlins came to bat in the bottom of the sixth at Dolphins Stadium on Sept. 4, 2006, they had managed just one hit off Arizona starter Enrique González. Trailing 5-0, Florida would take the lead with six runs in the inning. Each of them scored with two outs. Alfredo Amézaga singled to open the inning but after Jeremy Hermida hit into a fielder’s choice and Hanley Ramírez flied out, it looked to be another quiet inning. Instead, Florida responded with five straight hits. One pitch after Dan Uggla singled, Miguel Cabrera broke up the shutout with an RBI single to cut the lead to 5-1. Not known for his speed, Josh Willingham followed by legging out an infield hit to load the bases. Mike Jacobs then cut the lead to 5-3 with a two-run single. Arizona stuck with González, which proved to be a mistake. Ahead in the count of Joe Borchard, González left one out over the plate and the Florida right fielder crushed it to right-center field for the go-ahead three-run home run. What had been a 5-0 deficit when the inning started had become a 6-5 lead for the Marlins. After Renyel Pinto stranded the tying run at third in the top of the seventh, Uggla put the exclamation point on the comeback with a two-run homer in the bottom of the frame. Taylor Tankersley and Joe Borowski each worked 1-2-3 innings to slam the door on the Diamondbacks. For Arizona, most of the offense came early. The Diamondbacks plated four runs in the first against Florida starter Brian Moehler with two coming on a double by Conor Jackson. The Diamondbacks extended the lead to 5-0 on Eric Byrnes’ solo home run to lead off the fifth. Despite having just one hit through six innings, Amézaga, Uggla and Jacobs each finished the night with two. Byrnes and Orlando Hudson each had two hits for Arizona. While Borowski picked up the save for the Marlins, Randy Messenger worked a 1-2-3 sixth to earn the win. In addition to getting over .500 for the first time, the five-run comeback served as the biggest of the season for the Marlins. It came on this day two decades ago. View full article

With a team full of rookies and a first-year manager in Joe Girardi, the 2006 Florida Marlins were expected to be one of the worst teams in baseball. With less than a month left in the season, however, the Marlins found themselves squarely in the postseason race. On this day 20 years ago, the Fish made history. Once 11-31, the Marlins became the first team in baseball history to get back to .500 after falling 20 games below. They evened their record with a 10-3 road win over the Milwaukee Brewers. With a record of 67-68, the Marlins were looking to complete the three-game sweep of the Brewers as they arrived at Miller Park on Sept. 3, 2006. For the early parts of the contest, pitching dominated. After Hanley Ramírez led off the game with a double and scored the first run on a Miguel Cabrera’s RBI single, Florida’s Scott Olsen and Milwaukee’s Tomo Ohka traded zeroes for the next 5 ½ innings. Still 1-0 in the top of the seventh, Olsen created some breathing room for himself by singling home Miguel Olivo to double the lead. Olsen scored on the very next pitch, coming all the way around from first on an RBI double by Ramírez. Up 3-0, Olsen finished his day by working out of trouble in the seventh. In seven shutout innings, the Florida lefty allowed just one hit and two walks while fanning seven. Following a quality start from Ohka, the Marlins blew things open against the Milwaukee bullpen with seven runs in the eighth. After a Cabrera double and a walk to Josh Willingham to open the inning, an error at second with one out served as the catalyst for the big inning. Olivo singled in Cabrera on the very next pitch before Alfredo Amézaga made it 6-0 with a two-run single. Ramírez and Cabrera would each add two-run doubles later in the inning to extend the lead to 10-0. Milwaukee was able to break up the shutout with three runs in the bottom of the eighth, but the damage had been done. Ramírez finished 4-for-5 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Cabrera added three hits and three RBIs. Olivo and Amézaga each finished with two hits. Jeff Cirillo had two of the five hits and an RBI for the Brewers. After moving to 68-68, the Marlins would get as many as two games over .500 but a dismal stretch in which they lost 11 of 14 ended their postseason hopes. Despite that, Florida remains the only team in Major League Baseball history to even its record after falling 20 games below .500. It did so on this day two decades ago. View full article

Throughout the 34-year history of the Florida/Miami Marlins, the 2006 team had some of the lowest expectations entering the season. The club, however, was fun to watch. After a dismal start, the Florida Marlins put together stellar months of June and August. One of the highlights of August was a thrilling comeback win that culminated in a walk-off pinch-hit double by Mike Jacobs in a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers—on this day 20 years ago. Through 6 1/2 innings at Dolphins Stadium on Aug. 27, 2006, Florida, riding a six-game winning streak, had managed just two hits off Milwaukee starter Chris Capuano. It took just two swings in the bottom of the seventh for the Marlins to double their hit total, tie the game and end Capuano’s afternoon. Trailing 2-0, thanks to a two-run single by Milwaukee’s Bill Hall in the fifth, Miguel Cabrera and Josh Willingham led off the bottom of the inning with back-to-back home runs. Just like that, it was tied, but it didn’t stay that way for too much longer. José Capellán was able to prevent any further damage in the seventh, but after Sergio Mitre worked a 1-2-3 eighth for Florida, Hanley Ramírez lined Danny Kolb’s second pitch down the right-field line for a lead-off triple in the bottom of the eighth. Two pitches later, Dan Uggla singled Ramírez home to give the Marlins their first lead of the game, 3-2. Closer Joe Borowski, however, was unable to lock down the win in the ninth. David Bell’s solo home run to lead off the inning knotted the score. Borowski was able to work around two walks later in the inning to keep the score tied at 3 apiece. Extra innings seemed inevitable as Alfredo Amézaga and Miguel Olivo each grounded out against Brian Shouse to open the bottom of the ninth, but Jeremy Hermida was able to draw a seven-pitch walk. That set the stage for Jacobs. In as a pinch-hitter, Jacobs saw just three pitches on the day. The last of those was lined into the left-field corner. Hermida came all the way around from first, sliding home for the winning run. After taking the first two games of the four-game series, the thrilling victory clinched the set for Florida and ran its winning streak to seven. Both teams finished with eight hits. Bell and Willingham each had three for their respective teams. With a 78-84 final record, the 2006 Marlins exceeded all expectations. Against Milwaukee that season, the Marlins were a perfect 7-0. The only win over the Brewers that ended in a walk-off came on this day two decades ago. View full article