Mike Ferguson

As a 12-time All-Star, two-time MVP and the last Triple Crown winner, Miguel Cabrera was one hitter that no pitcher looked forward to facing. On this day 20 years ago, the Baltimore Orioles learned that even intentionally walking him wasn’t a sure thing. With the Orioles and Florida Marlins locked in a 5-5 tie in the 10th inning, Cabrera lined an intentional walk pitch that wasn’t far enough outside into centerfield for the go-ahead RBI as Florida completed a memorable comeback, 8-5. After Baltimore scored four runs in the eighth inning to break a 1-1 tie, the Marlins trailed 5-1 entering the top of the ninth at Camden Yards on June 22, 2006. Florida was able to force extra innings by answering with four runs in the inning. After singles by Cabrera and Jeremy Hermida chased LaTroy Hawkins, Baltimore turned to closer Chris Ray. Ray’s second pitch was hit by Josh Willingham for a sacrifice fly, but it also accounted for the second out. With Ray one strike away from ending it, Joe Borchard belted his 0-2 pitch the other way for a two-run home run to cut the lead to 5-4. Four pitches later, pinch hitter West Helms tied things up with a solo shot to left field. With the score now tied 5-5, Randy Messenger was able to strand the winning run at second in the bottom of the ninth to get the game to extra innings. On the first pitch from Baltimore’s Todd Williams in the top of the 10th, Hanley Ramírez legged out a bunt single. Following a groundout from Mike Jacobs one pitch later, Cabrera came to the plate with the go-ahead run on second and first base open. At the time, free passes were not automatic. Catcher Ramón Hernández stood way outside to signal an intentional walk, but his pitch was lobbed within arms’ reach of Cabrera. The Marlins third baseman stayed back and lined it to center, scoring Ramírez for the go-ahead run. That’s all that Florida would need, but not all it would get. Williams bounced back by striking out Ross before the Orioles turned to lefty Kurt Birkins. Birkins allowed a single to Hermida before plunking Josh Willingham on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases. Borchard followed by grounding one to short, but an errant throw from former MVP Miguel Tejada allowed two runs to score and just like that, the Marlins had gone from down to their last strike to up 8-5. In the bottom of the 10th, Joe Borowski needed just nine pitches to retire the Orioles in order and collect the save. Hermida finished with four hits and two runs scored in the win. Cabrera and Reggie Abercrombie each added two hits in the victory. Hernández had a pair of solo home runs for Baltimore, including a shot to lead off the bottom of the eighth inning. After splitting the first two games of the series, the thrilling comeback gave Florida the series victory. Over the course of his Hall of Fame career, Cabrera had plenty of big hits and moments. None, however, were quite like his winning single that came at Camden Yards on this day two decades ago. View full article

During the Atlanta Braves’ run of success in the late 1990s and early 2000s, lefty reliever John Rocker was an important but controversial figure. On this day 25 years ago, however, Derrek Lee and the Florida Marlins helped send him packing. In the final game of a four-game set, Lee’s two-run home run in the ninth would end Rocker’s tenure with the Braves. It also gave the Marlins a thrilling 3-2 victory and the series win. After taking two of the first three games from Atlanta, the Marlins were down to their last out at Turner Field on June 21, 2001. With the Braves leading 2-1 after eight innings, Rocker was given the ball to open the inning. The Atlanta lefty had retired Preston Wilson and Charles Johnson but a one-out walk to Kevin Millar put the tying run on base. With two outs and Millar at first, Lee was called upon to pinch hit. Lee was able to get ahead in the count against Rocker before turning on his 2-1 pitch. Lee’s shot cleared the wall in left-centerfield for the go-ahead two-run blast. Chipper Jones singled off Florida closer Antonio Alfonseca to lead off the bottom of the ninth, but the hefty right-hander was able to get Keith Lockhart to pop up before Rico Brogna grounded into a double play to end the game. Braden Looper retired Andruw Jones to end the eighth to earn the win. Prior to Lee’s shot, the Marlins never led. The Braves used productive outs in the second and fourth innings to take a 2-0 lead. Florida broke up the shutout in the fifth when Johnson’s sacrifice fly scored Wilson. Brian Jordan was 2-for-3 and scored both Atlanta runs. Eric Owens had two hits for Florida. As for Rocker, he posted a sub-three ERA in each of his first three seasons with the Braves. One day after giving up the go-ahead home run to Lee, however, the lefty was traded to the Cleveland Indians. He never would return to his early form. As a member of the Indians, Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Devil Rays over his final three seasons, Rocker went just 5-10 with a 6.00 ERA. His final game as a member of the Braves ended with Rocker blowing the save, taking the loss and giving up the go-ahead home run. It came on this day a quarter-century ago. View full article

Known as a baseball lifer, Jack McKeon won his only World Series as a manager as skipper of the Florida Marlins in 2003. On this day 15 years ago, McKeon decided he had a little bit left in the tank when he returned to the club at the age of 80. In 2003, McKeon took over as manager following the dismissal of Jeff Torborg after a tumultuous start. After a 32-39 start to 2011 under Edwin Rodriguez, the Marlins turned to McKeon to try to right the ship on June 20, 2011, naming him interim manager. McKeon spent three years with the Marlins during his first stint and managed the team to a winning record in each of those seasons. At one point in 2003, Florida was just 19-29 before going on to beat the New York Yankees in six games to win their second World Series. Tasked with trying to breathe life into a young but talented club that underachieved over the first months three of the 201 season, McKeon proved to still have a little magic left. Florida was just 32-40 when he took over, but by the early parts of August, the Marlins had evened their record at 55-55. Although Florida was able to get back to .500, it never managed to get over in what would be McKeon’s final season in a big-league dugout. After evening their record with a 4-3 win over the New York Mets on Aug. 2, the Marlins went just 17-35 over their final 52 games to finish the year with a 72-90 record. Over parts of four seasons with the Marlins, McKeon went 281-257 as manager of the club. He was also the last Florida skipper to manage at the park now known as Hard Rock Stadium. McKeon was brought back for a second stint at 80 years old on this day 15 years ago. View full article

To baseball fans in America, most would still probably consider Pete Rose to be the all-time leader in hits. Ask those in Japan and other parts of the world and one might get a different answer. On this day 10 years ago, Ichiro Suzuki passed Rose for the most hits at the highest levels of baseball and did so as a member of the Miami Marlins. Coupled with his time in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan, Suzuki collected his 4,257th hit in a 6-3 loss to the San Diego Padres. As the Marlins went for the three-game sweep of the Padres at Petco Park on June 15, 2016, Suzuki sat one hit behind Rose with 4,255 for his career in Nippon and Major League Baseball. He wasted little time drawing even. On just the second pitch of the game, Suzuki dribbled one just past the plate but was able to use his speed for the infield single and hit No. 4,256. He’d come around to score the game’s first run on an RBI single by Christian Yelich later in the inning. Over his next three at-bats, Ichiro grounded out twice and struck out once. With the Padres up 6-3 after eight innings, there was no guarantee that Suzuki would get another at-bat. A single by Adeiny Hechavarría to lead off the ninth, however, gave Ichiro a chance to bat against closer Fernando Rodney with two outs in the inning. On a 2-1 pitch, Suzuki smashed Rodney’s offering into the right-field corner for a standup double. The two-bagger not only broke Rose’s record, but it brought the tying run to the plate. Unfortunately for Miami, Rodney was able to get Martín Prado to fly out to end the contest. As for the game itself, the Padres used five unanswered runs to avoid the sweep. After San Diego’s B.J. Upton tied the game with a solo home run in the second, an RBI single from J.T. Realmuto and a sacrifice fly from Miguel Rojas gave the Marlins a 3-1 lead in the fourth. The Padres scored a run in the fourth before taking the lead on a two-run single from Derek Norris during a three-run fifth. In addition to Ichiro’s two hits, Hechavarría added a pair of knocks for the Marlins. Upton finished 3-for-3 with the aforementioned home run, two runs scored and two RBIs for San Diego. After giving up the history-making hit to Suzuki, Rodney would become his Marlins teammate via trade later in the year. Between Japan and Major League Baseball, Ichiro finished with 4,367 hits. He moved ahead of Pete Rose on this day a decade ago. View full article

After going just 11-31 over their first 42 games, the 2006 Florida Marlins tied a franchise record with nine straight wins from June 10 through 20. The lone walk-off win of that stretch came on this day 20 years ago. In a contest in which the Marlins trailed by three in the eighth inning, a throwing error allowed the winning run to score. An errant throw led to celebration as Florida rallied past the Atlanta Braves in 10 innings, 6-5. The Marlins trailed 5-2 entering the bottom of the eighth inning at Dolphins Stadium on June 14, 2006. Against Atlanta reliever Ken Ray, it was a nine-pitch walk to Miguel Cabrera with one out that started the Florida rally. Three pitches later, Cody Ross plated the first run of the inning with an RBI double. Jeremy Hermida followed by working a seven-pitch at-bat but ultimately struck out swinging. To the plate came former Atlanta utility man Wes Helms. Helms had belted a solo home run in the fourth inning that cut the deficit to 3-2. After getting ahead in the count, Helms blasted Ray’s 3-1 offering over the “teal tower” in left-centerfield for the game-tying two-run home run. With the score now tied 5-5, Joe Borowski worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the ninth with consecutive strikeouts. In the top of the 10th, Florida lefty Taylor Tankersley used consecutive strikeouts to end the inning and leave the go-ahead run in scoring position. In the bottom of the inning, Cabrera lined a double off Óscar Villarreal to get things started. Villarreal hit Ross the very next pitch. The Braves turned to lefty Mike Remlinger, who fired just one pitch; it was the ensuing throw, however, that proved costly. As he fielded the bunt from Hermida, Remlinger tried to get the lead runner at third but his throw went past teammate Chipper Jones, allowing pinch runner Reggie Abercrombie to score the walk-off run and the Marlins to complete the comeback. The Marlins won despite being outhit 13-9. Helms finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Ross, Cabrera and Alfredo Amézaga each finished with two hits. Marcus Giles and Jeff Francoeur each finished with two hits and a home run for Atlanta. Francoeur recorded three RBIs. Matt Diaz added three hits in the loss. After winning the first game of the set by a 4-1 score, Florida completed the three-game sweep of the Braves with a 3-2 win the following night. For the month of June, the Marlins went a stellar 18-7 in 2006. The lone walk-off win from that month came on this day two decades ago. View full article

A seven-time Gold Glove winner for the California Angles and Toronto Blue Jays and a two-time World Series champion in Toronto, Devon White brought speed, stellar defense and a much-needed veteran presence to the clubhouse when he signed with the Florida Marlins prior to the 1996 season. On this day 30 years ago, White put those qualities to good use with a game-winning two-run single in the ninth as Florida rallied past the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3. White used the aforementioned speed to beat out a ground ball and bring home a run in the top of the eighth. But as the Marlins came to bat in the top of the ninth at Three Rivers Stadium on June 13, 1996, they were on the short end of a 3-2 score. Pittsburgh closer Francisco Córdova began the inning by getting Jesús Tavárez to pop out. After consecutive singles from Joe Orsulak and Kurt Abbott, Alex Arias drew a walk to load the bases. To the plate came White. On a 1-1 pitch, White lined it to centerfield. Both Osulak and Abbott scored standing up. White was thrown out trying to advance to second but the damage was done. In the bottom of the ninth, Florida's Robb Nen got Mark Johnson to ground back to the mound on the first pitch before striking out both Carlos García and Al Martin to end the game. After a quality start from David Weathers, Yorkis Pérez threw 1.1 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win. Starter Zane Smith allowed just a run on five hits in seven innings for Pittsburgh. Prior to the eighth, a solo home run from Gary Sheffield in the fourth had accounted for all the Marlins offense. Abbott finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored in the win. García had two of the seven hits for manager Jim Leyland and the Pirates. The following season, Leyland and White would share a dugout as the two helped Florida win the 1997 World Series. As adversaries in the mid-June contest in 1996, however, White delivered the biggest hit of the game. It came on this day three decades ago. View full article

June 3, 2001 Preston Wilson hit at least 23 home runs every year. Still one of just 10 players ever to hit 100 home runs for the club, Wilson also had plenty of speed. On this day 25 years ago, Wilson delivered the Marlins to victory without having to hit the ball out of the infielder. His RBI infield single in the bottom of the ninth broke a scoreless tie and lifted Florida past the New York Mets, 1-0. The story of the day on June 3, 2001 at Pro Player Stadium was pitching. For the Mets, Kevin Appier allowed just two hits in seven shutout innings. For Florida, A.J. Burnett went 8.2 scoreless innings before Antonio Alfonseca got Todd Zeile to ground out to end a threat in the top of the ninth. After working a 1-2-3 eighth for the Mets, Turk Wendell stayed on to pitch the bottom of the ninth. Wendell was able to start the inning strong by fanning Dave Berg on a 10-pitch plate appearance. Luis Castillo followed with a double. Wendell then yielded a walk on another 10-pitch plate appearance – this time to Eric Owens. With two on and one out, the Mets went to closer John Franco, who was able to get Cliff Floyd to hit into a fielder’s choice for the second out. With the winning run at third, Wilson came to the plate. 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout to that point, Wilson lined one back off Franco’s glove. The ball ricocheted to shortstop but by the time Joe McEwing was able to gather and throw, Wilson had already crossed first base, giving the Fish the walk-off victory. With the win, the Marlins salvaged a split in the four-game series and handed Wendell his second loss of the set. Each team finished with just four hits. Castillo had two of those knocks for the Marlins. Wilson would add a second walk-off hit later in the season with a dramatic three-run home run to beat the Chicago Cubs. His first walk-off knock of 2001, however, left neither the yard nor the infield. It came on this day a quarter-century ago. View full article

During the 1990s and into the early-2000s, one of the most feared home run hitters in baseball was a man named McGwire. On this day 25 years ago, however, a guy named McGuire also showed he could leave the yard. In a pinch-hitting role for the Florida Marlins, Ryan McGuire had the biggest swing of the game. His pinch-hit grand slam capped a five-run seventh and lifted the Marlins to a 5-3 win over the New York Mets. With the Mets leading 3-0 at the seventh-inning stretch on May 31, 2001, Florida had managed just four hits off New York starter Glendon Rusch. Three pitches into the inning, the Marlins’ fortunes began to change as Mike Lowell went deep to left for a solo home run to cut the lead to 3-1. After walking Charles Johnson and giving up a single to Kevin Millar to put the tying run on base, Rusch’s evening had come to an end. The Mets turned to Turk Wendell, who proceeded to walk Álex González on four pitches. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Florida turned to the left-handed hitting McGuire. To that point, McGuire had just four hits for the year. Wendell was able to get ahead in the count 1-2, but his fastball got all of the plate and McGuire launched it to right field for a grand slam. McGuire’s blast turned what had been a two-run deficit into a 5-3 lead. After Armando Almanza and Braden Looper combined for a 1-2-3 eighth for Florida on the mound, Antonio Alfonseca threw a scoreless ninth to pick up the save. Florida starter Ryan Dempster, who allowed three runs on six hits and four walks with eight strikeouts in seven innings, picked up the win. Both teams finished with seven hits in the contest. Cliff Floyd went 3-for-4 for the Marlins while Millar added two hits. Mike Piazza went 2-for-4 with a solo home run for the Mets. Desi Relafordprovided the rest of the New York offense with a two-run single in the fourth. As for McGuire, he would manage just seven home runs in parts of six seasons in the big leagues. The last of those and only blast as a member of the Marlins served as the game-winner and the lone grand slam of McGuire’s career. It came on this day a quarter-century ago. View full article