Mike Ferguson

Over his two stints with the Florida Marlins, Charles Johnson won four Gold Gloves and was a two-time All-Star. One of the best in baseball behind the plate, Johnson came through clutch at it on this day 25 years ago. One night after catching A.J. Burnett’s no-hitter, Johnson was given the day off by Marlins manager John Boles. Called on to pinch hit with the bases loaded in the seventh, Johnson turned a three-run deficit into a one-run lead and began a streak of nine unanswered runs in a 10-4 win over the San Diego Padres. A solo home run by Kevin Millar in the first had accounted for all the Florida offense as the Marlins came to bat against Kevin Jarvis in the top of the seventh at Qualcomm Stadium on May 13, 2001. Jarvis got Eric Owens and Millar to fly out to open the frame but after back-to-back singles from Preston Wilson and Derrek Lee, San Diego went to the bullpen. Lefty Kevin Walker came in and walked Florida’s Cliff Floyd on four pitches. As Padres manager Bruce Bochy turned to right-hander Jay Witasick, Florida turned to Johnson. Witasick was able to get ahead in the count, but Johnson turned on his 1-2 offering and deposited it into the left-field stands for the go-ahead pinch-hit grand slam. The Marlins went ahead for good, but the offense wasn’t done. Florida put the contest out of reach with five runs in the eighth. After Preston Wilson singled to extend the lead to 6-4, Floyd came through with a bases-clearing triple. Johnson, who stayed in the game to catch, followed with an RBI single to give the Marlins a 10-4 lead and to cap the scoring. With the win, the Marlins also clinched the three-run series. Wilson finished 4-for-4 in the win with two runs scored and an RBI. Johnson, who had just two plate appearances, had the only other multi-hit game for Florida, finishing with five RBIs. Bubba Trammell finished with a home run and three RBIs for San Diego. Ryan Klesko and Ben Davis each had two hits and a run scored. In parts of seven total seasons with the Marlins, Johnson had 75 home runs for the club. The lone grand slam of his tenure was a pinch-hit blast that put Florida ahead for good in a Sunday afternoon rubber game in San Diego. It came on this day a quarter-century ago. View full article

In nearly three and a half decades as a franchise, the Florida/Miami Marlins have had six different pitchers throw a no-hitter. Perhaps the most bizarre came on this day 25 years ago. For the Florida Marlins at Qualcomm Park on May 12, 2001, pitcher A.J. Burnett walked nine batters, hit another and barely threw more strikes than balls. In the end, however, he became the third pitcher in Marlins history to toss a no-no in a 3-0 win over the San Diego Padres. For the night, Burnett threw 129 pitches—65 strikes and 64 balls. After Burnett pitched around a two-out walk in the first inning, the Padres had perhaps their best scoring chance in the second. Ben Davis and Bubba Trammell drew back-to-back walks to open the frame. A flyout by Damian Jackson moved Davis to third with one out, but two pitches later, Burnett was able to get Donaldo Méndez to ground into a double play to end the threat. In the top of the third, Florida gave Burnett all the offense he would need. Charles Johnson’s two-run double scored Eric Owens and Preston Wilson to give the Marlins a 2-0 lead. In the third, San Diego threatened again. Two walks and a wild pitch put a pair of runners in scoring position with one out, but Burnett again hunkered down. Burnett struck out Ryan Klesko swinging before getting Dave Magadan to fly out to centerfield. The fourth required another Houdini act from Burnett. After a second walk to Trammell and hitting Jackson, Burnett again got out of the inning unscathed following consecutive strikeouts of Méndez and opposing pitcher Wascar Serrano. Florida added to its lead with a run in the top of the fifth. Burnett followed with consecutive 1-2-3 innings. The right-hander worked around a one-out walk in the seventh. After a pair of walks brought the tying run to the plate with one out in the eighth, Burnett inducted consecutive pop-outs from Davis and Trammell. The bottom of the ninth would be one of Burnett’s most economical innings of the evening. After getting Alex Arias to fly out, Burnett fanned pinch hitter Santiago Pérez for his seventh and final strikeout of the night. Three pitches later, Phil Nevin popped out to Florida shortstop Álex González to complete the wild no-hitter. While Burnett kept San Diego without a hit, the Marlins finished with seven. Wilson had three of those knocks. Serrano took the loss for the Padres despite allowing just one earned run in seven innings. Burnett’s no-hitter served as the first for the Marlins since Kevin Brown no-hit the San Francisco Giants in June 1997. In baseball history, only Jim Maloney of the Cincinnati Reds in 1965 had more walks in a no-hitter than Burnett’s nine. Burnett’s lone career no-no came on this day a quarter-century ago. View full article

In nearly three and a half decades as a franchise, the Florida/Miami Marlins have had six different pitchers throw a no-hitter. The first came on this day 30 years ago. Left-hander Al Leiter needed 103 pitches to accomplish the feat at Joe Robbie Stadium on May 11, 1996. Leiter allowed just three baserunners in the Florida Marlins’ 11-0 win over the Colorado Rockies. In the first, Leiter needed just 10 pitches to work a 1-2-3 inning. The next time he took the mound, he had a big lead. After Jeff Conine drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the first to get the scoring started, Terry Pendleton followed with a two-run single. Two pitches later, Charles Johnson’s three-run home run staked Florida to a 6-0 lead. The biggest threat for Colorado came in the top of the second. Leiter walked Andrés Galarraga to open the inning before hitting Ellis Burks. Leiter, however, bounced back by striking out Vinny Castilla and getting Trenidad Hubbard to hit into an inning-ending double play. Following a two-run double by Conine in the bottom of the second that pushed the lead to 8-0, the double-play ball was again Leiter’s friend in the third. Leiter walked Jayhawk Owens to open the frame, but got opposing pitcher John Habyan to bunt into a double play two pitches later. The Rockies never had another baserunner. The rest of the Florida offense came courtesy of Pendleton. The third baseman extended the lead to 9-0 with a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the fifth before plating two with a double in the sixth. As the game went on, Leiter appeared to be getting better. He struck out Galarraga and Dante Bichette on back-to-back 3-2 pitches in the seventh. As the contest went to the ninth, he was three outs away. Leiter got Owens and Quinton McCracken to each ground out on the first pitch of their at-bats in the ninth. After the count went full on Eric Young, Leiter got the speedy Colorado second baseman to swing through a fastball to complete the no-no and make Marlins history. While the Rockies were held without a hit, the Marlins had 11. Pendleton and Greg Colbrunn each had three knocks. Pendleton finished with five RBIs while Colbrunn scored three times. Conine and Johnson finished with three RBIs apiece. The night, however, would belong to Leiter. In what would be his first All-Star season, Leiter threw the first no-hitter in club history. It came on this day three decades ago. View full article

In each of his eight seasons with the Florida/Miami Marlins, Giancarlo Stanton belted at least 22 home runs. On this day 10 years ago, he reached double digits for the seventh straight year with a dramatic blast. Against the Philadelphia Phillies, Stanton’s blast broke the tie and lifted the Miami Marlins to a thrilling 6-4 victory. After racing to a 4-0 lead, the Marlins had not scored since the second inning as they came to bat in the bottom of the eighth at Marlins Park on May 6, 2016. Following a scoreless seventh from Andrew Bailey, Philadelphia turned to hard-throwing Héctor Neris. Neris had gotten Martín Prado to ground out to open the inning. After a one-out single from Christian Yelich, Stanton came to the plate. Stanton took the first pitch for a ball. The second, he sent into orbit. Neris left an 87-mph pitch out over the plate and Stanton was able to send it beyond the home run sculpture in left-centerfield for the go-ahead blast. The home run was his 10th of the year and capped the scoring. David Phelps worked a 1-2-3 ninth to record the save. Prior to the eighth, all the Miami offense came early. Yelich got the scoring started with a two-run homer of his own in the first inning. In the second, J.T. Realmuto and Prado put together consecutive RBI singles to double the lead to 4-0. Maikel Franco’s RBI double off Wei-Yin Chen got Philadelphia on the board in the third. After Peter Bourjos’ two-run double cut the lead to 4-3 in the fourth, Franco tied the game with a solo shot to lead off the fifth. Franco, Bourjos and Freddy Galvis each had two of the 12 hits for the Phillies. Prado, Yelich and Marcell Ozuna each had two knocks for Miami. Kyle Barraclough faced the minimum during a scoreless eighth to earn the win. Limited to 119 games by injury, Stanton would go on to hit 27 home runs during the 2016 season, including 10 in May. His second bomb of the month served as the game-winner for the Marlins. It came on this day 10 years ago. View full article

As the club’s all-time home run leader with 267 bombs as a member of the Florida/Miami Marlins, Giancarlo Stanton had his fair share of clutch homers as well over seven seasons with the Fish. One of those came on this day 15 years ago. Against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium, Stanton, then known as Mike, came through with a two-run home run in the ninth inning to break a tie and lift the Florida Marlins to an eventual 8-7 victory. Neither team had scored since the sixth inning as the Marlins came to the plate in the top of the ninth to face St. Louis right-hander Eduardo Sánchez on May 4, 2011. With the score tied 6-6, Hanley Ramírez walked to open the inning. Gaby Sánchez followed by striking out. With one on and one out, Stanton came to the plate. After taking the first pitch for a ball, Stanton got a fastball middle-in and didn’t miss it. St. Louis outfielders barely moved as Stanton belted a no-doubter to left-centerfield, giving Florida an 8-6 lead. Juan Carlos Oviedo, then known as Leo Núñez, came in to try to close it out. After retiring the first batter he faced, Oviedo allowed a solo home run to Jon Jay that cut the deficit to 8-7. Oviedo then walked Albert Pujols but was able to get Matt Holliday to ground into a game-ending double play to collect the save. The Marlins never trailed in the contest but did let a four-run lead slip away. After the teams traded two-spots in the first inning, Florida took a 6-2 lead with four runs in the third inning. St. Louis answered with two in the bottom of the frame before drawing even with two more in the sixth. Emilio Bonifácio finished 3-for-5 with a triple and a run scored in the win. Gaby Sánchez and Chris Coghlan each added two hits. Ramírez scored three runs in the victory. Holliday finished with two hits for St. Louis. Although Florida would finish just 72-90 and in last place in the National League East in 2011, the thrilling win put the Marlins at 19-10 for the season. That win came courtesy of a no-doubter from Stanton and on this day 15 years ago. View full article

Over his two seasons with the Florida Marlins, outfielder Eric Owens hit just nine home runs. Three of those, however, came in his first month with the club. On this day 25 years ago, Owens had perhaps his biggest blast with the Fish. His solo shot in the 10th inning off future Hall of Fame closer Billy Wagner lifted the Marlins to a thrilling 9-8 win over the Houston Astros. The Marlins had raced to a 5-0 lead at Enron Park on April 27, 2001. By the end of the fifth inning, however, that advantage had become an 8-5 deficit, thanks in part to a grand slam by Houston infielder Julio Lugo. Scoreless for four innings, the Florida bats came back to life in the seventh inning. Álex González’s RBI double cut the deficit to 8-6 before Cliff Floyd tied things up with a two-run home run off Mike Jackson an inning later. On the mound, Braden Looper and Antonio Alfonseca were able to work around errors in the eighth and ninth innings to keep the score tied. As the contest went to extra innings, Houston turned to Wagner. To open the 10th inning, the hard-throwing lefty got Luis Castillo to fly out. That brought Owens to the plate. With the count 2-2, Owens was able to drive Wagner’s fastball to right field and over the wall for the go-ahead home run. Wagner bounced back to retire Floyd and Preston Wilson, but the damage was done. In the bottom of the 10th, Alfonseca sealed the win with a 1-2-3 frame, striking out former Florida World Series hero Moisés Alou and Richard Hidalgo. On a night where the teams combined for 17 runs, they also combined for 23 hits. Owens had five of those, finishing with four runs scored. Floyd added three hits and three runs scored in the win. Mike Lowell drove in three runs. Hidalgo had a nice night for Houston, going 3-for-5 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored. Alou was 2-for-5 with two runs. Over nine seasons in the big leagues, Owens hit just 26 career home runs. His lone blast in extra innings came off a Hall of Famer and as a member of the Marlins. It happened on this day a quarter-century ago. View full article

Dismal months of June and August ultimately did in the Florida Marlins in 2011, but early on that year, the Fish had the look of a contender. On this day 15 years ago, the Marlins kicked off a three-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers in thrilling fashion. Omar Infante’s walk-off single capped a two-run ninth as the Marlins rallied for a 5-4 victory. Through six innings at Sun Life Stadium on April 25, 2011, a pair of solo home runs from Chris Coghlan had accounted for all the Florida offense as the Marlins led 2-1. After struggling against Florida starter Ricky Nolasco, the Dodgers were able to find some offense against the Florida bullpen. Los Angeles took the lead with two runs in the seventh with Jamey Caroll’s RBI single serving as the go-ahead hit. James Loney plated another run in the eighth as the Dodgers pushed the lead to 4-2. The Marlins were able to get that run back in the bottom of the inning as Gaby Sánchez came through with an RBI single. The rally, however, came to an end after Infante was thrown out at third trying to tag up on a Giancarlo (then Mike) Stanton flyout. Brian Sanches worked a 1-2-3 ninth for Florida, but in the bottom of the inning, Los Angeles’ Jonathan Broxton appeared on the verge of doing likewise. After striking out Greg Dobbs and getting John Buck to ground out, Broxton was one strike away from slamming the door. Emilio Bonifácio, however, kept Florida alive by taking a 3-2 pitch for ball four. Hanley Ramírez followed with a single to put the tying run in scoring position. From there, the wheels fell off for the Dodgers defense. As pinch hitter Scott Cousins hit a slow roller to shortstop, Carroll charged, but the ball rolled under his glove and into left field, allowing Bonifácio to score the tying run from third. After intentionally walking Coghlan to load the bases, Infante came to the plate looking to atone for his mistake on the basepaths the inning prior. Infante lined Broxton’s 1-0 pitch into left field. Outfielder Jerry Sands originally came in on the ball and was unable to recover as it sailed over his head, allowing Ramírez to score the walk-off run. Prior to the misplay, Sands was in the midst of a solid night, going 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI. Coghlan finished 3-for-4 with three runs scored for the Marlins in the victory. Florida went on to clinch the three-game series with a 4-2 win the following night. The thrilling win in the series opener would serve as the second walk-off victory for the Marlins during the month of April and one of five for the year. It came on this day 15 years ago. View full article

After Aníbal Sánchez took a no-hitter into the ninth inning to open the Florida Marlins’ home series with the Colorado Rockies early during the 2011 season, Giancarlo Stanton (then known as Mike Stanton) capped it with a bang. On this day 15 years ago, Stanton’s three-run blast in the bottom of the eighth delivered the Marlins past the Rockies in the rubber game of a three-game series, 6-3. Like Sánchez two nights prior, Marlins starter Josh Johnson had kept the Rockies hitless through five innings at Sun Life Stadium on April 24, 2011. Florida finally broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth inning on a bases-clearing triple from Omar Infante. Colorado, however, fought back. After Jonathan Herrera’s RBI double got the Rockies on the board in the sixth, Colorado drew even at 3-3 with a pair of runs in the eighth against the Florida bullpen. Rockies lefty Matt Reynolds was able to strike out Chris Coghlan to open the bottom of the inning, but a pitching change to Matt Belisle was made shortly after. Infante was able to single off Belisle, who followed by striking out Hanley Ramírez. After Gaby Sánchez worked a six-pitch walk, Stanton came to the plate with two outs and the go-ahead run in scoring position. Stanton took the first pitch for a ball. The second pitch was in the strike zone and the Florida slugger didn’t miss it. On an offspeed pitch that got too much of the plate, Stanton turned on it for a no-doubter as the Marlins took a 6-3 lead. Juan Carlos Oviedo—then known as Leo Núñez—worked a 1-2-3 ninth to seal the win and collect the save. Lefty Mike Dunn was credited with the victory. In addition to Infante’s two hits, Stanton’s game-winning blast was the only other hit for Florida. It happened to be the biggest one of the game. It came on this day 15 years ago. View full article