Mike Ferguson

For the Florida Marlins, the 1996 season ushered in a handful of franchise-firsts, including the first no-hitter in franchise history, which was completed against Al Leiter against the Colorado Rockies. That, however, wasn’t the only memorable moment against Colorado from that campaign. On this day 30 years ago, the Marlins beat the Rockies in their final at-bat for the second day in a row. After Joe Orsulak’s solo home run in the eighth inning gave Florida a 2-1 clinched the series win the night before, the Marlins rallied to complete the three-game sweep with three runs in the eighth in the series finale. Édgar Rentería’s two-run single in the Florida seventh had tied the game 4-4 at Joe Robbie Stadium on Aug. 15, 1996, but the Rockies had an answered in the top of the eighth. A sacrifice fly from Jayhawk Owens put the Rockies back in front 5-4 before a Walt Weiss RBI triple on the very next pitch extended the lead two. Down 6-4, the Marlins had work to do against Colorado reliever Curt Leskanic in the bottom of the inning. Florida centerfielder Devon White started the rally with a double to start the frame. Leskanic bounced back to strike out Jesús Tavárez but a walk to Kurt Abbott led to a pitching change. Closer Bruce Ruffin was called upon with two on and one out. Ruffin would surrender the lead in just two pitches. Ruffin’s first pitch of the night was pulled down the third base line by Alex Arias for a game-tying two-run double. Arias was able to take third on the throw to the plate. One pitch later, he scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by Jeff Conine. In the bottom of the ninth, Robb Nen used a pair of ground balls back to the mound – one for a double play – to face the minimum and complete the save. Despite allowing the go-ahead Colorado hits in the top of the eighth, Jay Powell picked up the win for the Marlins. Prior to the eighth, Florida had never led. After the Rockies scored in the top of the first inning, the Marlins drew even in the bottom on a Gary Sheffield solo home run. Colorado went back in front with three runs in the third. Orsulak singled home Abbott in the fifth to cut the lead to 4-2. Ellis Burks, Weiss and Andrés Galarraga each finished with two hits and an RBI for the Rockies. Abbott scored two of the seven runs for Florida. For the 1996 season, the Marlins would finish with a then-franchise-best record of 80-82. Against Colorado, Florida went 8-5, including a perfect 7-0 at home. That included thrilling wins in each of the final two meetings, capped by a thriller on this day three decades ago. View full article

A member of the franchise’s Hall of Fame, Luis Castillo was never the biggest or the strongest guy for the Florida Marlins. Castillo, however, was one of the best defensively and certainly one of the fastest. The only player to make the opening day start for each of the Marlins’ two World Series-winning teams, Castillo recorded his first career hit on this day 30 years ago. Later in the game, he recorded his second career hit, which served as the walk-off winner in a 2-1 victory over the New York Mets. Hitting lead-off for the Marlins at Joe Robbie Stadium on Aug. 9, 1996, Castillo used his blazing speed to give the Marlins an early lead with an infield single to lead off the fourth – his first big-league hit – against New York’s Robert Person. On a dribbler back to the pitcher, Person was forced to hurry his throw, which got away and allowed Castillo to advance to second. He’d score the first run on a Jeff Conine sacrifice fly later in the inning. The Mets drew even on Álvaro Espinoza’s solo home run off Mark Hutton in the top of the sixth inning. After six strong innings from Hutton and seven from Person, it became a battle of the bullpens. Jay Powell, Félix Heredia and Robb Nen combined for four scoreless frames for the Marlins, yielding just two hits. In the bottom of the 10th, the Mets turned to Doug Henry. Alex Arias started the rally for Florida by working a nine-pitch walk. After a sacrifice bunt from Terry Pendleton, Henry struck out Joe Siddall before intentionally walking pinch hitter Joe Orsulak. That put the game in the hands of Castillo. The speedy switch hitter fell behind 1-2 in the count, but Castillo rolled one up the middle. The grounder slipped just past the glove of a diving Rey Ordóñez, allowing Arias to score easily for the winning run. At the top of the order, Castillo and Édgar Rentería each had two of the five hits for Florida. Bernard Gilkey finished with two hits for the Mets. A member of the Marlins for parts of 10 seasons, Castillo is the club’s all-time leader in games, runs, hits, walks, triples and stolen bases. His first career hit and his first career walk-off hit came in the same game on this day three decades ago. View full article

Throughout Major League Baseball history, only 33 players have reached 3,000 hits for their career. On this day 10 years ago, Ichiro Suzuki became the only player to accomplish the feat in a Miami Marlins uniform. In a 10-7 win over the Colorado Rockies, Suzuki became the 30th in baseball history to do it. His history-making knock came in the seventh inning off Chris Rusin. Although the Marlins were in the midst of a great day offensively at Coors Field on Aug. 7, 2016, Suzuki had been quiet to that point. Miami led 8-6, but Ichiro was 0-for-3 with a strikeout. On a 2-0 pitch from Rusin, Ichiro turned on it, belting it deep to right field and off the wall over the glove of a leaping Gerardo Parra. Suzuki cruised into third base for a triple. Despite it being a Colorado crowd, applause erupted as Suzuki joined Paul Molitor as the only players to triple for their 3,000th hit. Combined with his time in NPB in Japan, Suzuki had surpassed Pete Rose as the all-time hits leader at baseball’s highest levels earlier in the season. As for the game itself, the Marlins never trailed. A two-run double from Christian Yelich and a two-run single from Jeff Mathis in the first inning propelled Miami to an early 4-0 lead. In the fourth, a two-run double from Martín Prado and a two-run home run from Giancarlo Stanton extended the lead to 8-1. Colorado would get as close as two, thanks largely to a pair of home runs from Nolan Arenado – a solo shot in the fourth and a three-run blast in the fifth. Mathis followed Suzuki’s history-making triple with an RBI single in the seventh to extend the lead to 9-6. After an Arenado double in the bottom of the inning cut the lead to 9-7, Yelich capped the scoring with an RBI double of his own in the top of the eighth. While Arenado finished with three hits and five RBIs for Colorado, Prado, Yelich and Stanton each had three of the 17 hits for Miami. The hit from that day that everyone remembers, however, came off the bat of Ichiro and on this day a decade ago. View full article

Édgar Rentería’s time with the Florida Marlins was short, but it was undeniably impactful. Just 19 years old when he made his Major League Baseball debut, Renteria celebrates his 50th birthday today. Born Aug. 7, 1976 in Colombia, Renteria spent the first three seasons of his 16-year career with the Marlins. Nearly the National League Rookie of the Year in 1996, Renteria was a World Series hero in 1997 and an All-Star in 1998. Renteria’s impact was immediate. As a rookie in 1996, Renteria hit .309 in 106 games with five home runs, 31 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. He finished behind Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder and future Marlins World Series champion and broadcaster Todd Hollandsworth. In 1997, Renteria occupied the No. 2 hole in the Florida order. A table setter for the big bats like Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla and Moises Alou, Renteria turned in another solid year, hitting .277 with four home runs, 52 RBIs and 32 stolen bases. He led the National League with 19 sacrifice hits. The fondest memories of Renteria from the 1997 campaign, however, came in the postseason. In the club’s first-ever postseason game, Renteria played the role of hero with a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth against Roberto Hernández, giving Florida a 2-1 win over the San Francisco Giants in Game 1 of the National League Division Series – a series the Marlins would ultimately sweep. In the National League Championship-clinching Game 6 win over the Atlanta Braves, Renteria went 2-for-3 with two doubles and a run scored as the Marlins celebrated a 7-4 victory at Turner Field. Relatively quiet through the first six games of the 1997 World Series, it was Renteria who would ultimately deliver the franchise its first championship. Against the Cleveland Indians in Game 7, Renteria singled off reliever Charles Nagy to score Craig Counsell and give Florida its first of two World Series titles. Renteria finished with three of the eight Florida hits in the thrilling 3-2 come-from-behind win. In his final season with the Marlins, Renteria made his first of five All-Star Game appearances. He finished the year by hitting .282 with three home runs, 31 RBIs and 41 stolen bases. In his first All-Star Game, Renteria scored a run and made a nifty play to rob Omar Vizquel, his American League counterpart, of a hit. After an All-Star season for Renteria and a dismal 54-108 finish for Florida, Renteria was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals for Armando Almanza, Braden Looper and Pablo Ozuna. Looper would be a major contributor out of the bullpen for the Marlins’ 2003 title team. Regarded as a contact hitter with good speed for the Marlins, Renteria would hit double-digit home runs in each of his six seasons in St. Louis, making All-Star Games in 2000 when he hit a career-best 16 home runs; in 2003 when he drove in a career-high 100 runs; and in 2004. After a season with the Boston Red Sox, Renteria spent two years with the Atlanta Braves, making his final All-Star appearance in 2006. Renteria was reunited with his former Marlins manager Jim Leyland during the 2008 season with the Detroit Tigers before two seasons with the San Francisco Giants. In 2010, Renteria helped San Francisco win its first World Series since relocating from New York and in the process, was named the series’ MVP. He concluded his career in 2011 with the Cincinnati Reds. A two-time world champion who played on many great teams over the years, Renteria’s most iconic postseason moment is arguably still the walk-off hit in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series. The club’s October hero turns 50 today. View full article

As 1993 expansion sisters, the Miami Marlins and Colorado Rockies are separated by less than 100 wins all-time. On this day 10 years ago, the bats came alive for the Marlins late to stun the Rockies at Coors Field. Held scoreless for seven innings, Miami came through when it mattered. The Marlins scored four runs in the ninth for a 5-3 victory. Traditionally a hitter’s paradise, Coors Field had seen just one scored through seven and a half innings on Aug. 5, 2016. That came in the first inning on an RBI double from Miami’s Giancarlo Stanton. In the bottom of the eighth, however, Colorado came through with three runs. After an errant throw from Dee Strange-Gordon allowed Colorado’s DJ LeMahieu to score the tying run, David Dahl’s RBI single off Fernando Rodney gave the Rockies a 2-1 lead. Dahl would come around to score on an RBI single from Mark Reynolds to extend the lead to 3-1. The Rockies looked to be on the verge of making the lead even bigger after consecutive walks loaded the bases with one out. Brian Ellington, however, was able to fan Ryan Raburn before getting Charlie Blackmon to ground out to end the inning. Leading 3-1, Carlos Estévez came in to try to close things out for Colorado in the top of the ninth inning. After walking J.T. Realmuto on four pitches, Chris Johnson singled for Miami to put the tying run on base. Adeiny Hechavarría followed with an RBI single to cut the lead to 3-2. An errant throw from left allowed two runners to move into scoring position. Estévez was able to strike out Derek Dietrich, but that’s the only out he would record. Two pitches later, Prado singled up the middle to score two and give the Marlins a 4-3 lead. Estévez’s day was done, but the Marlins were able to add another run as Christian Yelich lined Jordan Lyles’ second pitch to center for a sacrifice fly. AJ Ramos worked around a lead-off single from LeMahieu in the bottom of the ninth to record the save. LeMahieu finished 4-for-4 in the loss. Reynolds added three hits for the Rockies. Hechavarría had two of the eight hits for Miami. During a 2016 season in which the Marlins finished 79-82, they won five of seven games against the Rockies. The only one of those wins that required a ninth-inning comeback came on this day a decade ago. View full article

The 2006 New York Mets won 97 games and finished one win short of the National League pennant. Beating the Florida Marlins, however, proved to be a difficult task. The Mets narrowly won the season series over the Marlins, taking nine of 17 meetings. To open the month of August, however, it was Florida that found the magic. The Marlins took the three-game set from New York with two wins in their final at-bat, clinching the series on this day 20 years ago. After winning the series opener on a walk-off home run from Josh Willingham, Florida was looking to take the set as the teams met for the rubber game at Dolphins Stadium on Aug. 3, 2006. Ultimately, it was Miguel Cabrera’s bases-clearing double that delivered the Marlins to a 4-1 win and a series victory. After a Mike Jacobs solo home run gave Florida a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the sixth, the Mets answered with a run in the seventh. After eight strong innings on the mound from starting pitcher Dontrelle Willis, the Marlins put him in line to be the winner. Facing right-hander Aaron Heilman, Miguel Olivo started the bottom of the eighth with a lead-off single on the first pitch. Alfredo Amézaga followed by laying down a sacrifice bunt before Hanley Ramírez walked on four pitches. With two on, Heilman struck out Dan Uggla on three pitches, but followed by walking Jacobs on four. That brought Cabrera to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. On the first pitch of the at-bat, the Florida third baseman unloaded the bags with a double that rolled all the way to the wall, giving the Marlins a 4-1 lead. After eight innings from Willis, who scattered seven hits and three walks while allowing just an unearned run, Florida got a 1-2-3 ninth from Joe Borowski to seal the win. Cabrera finished with two of the six Florida hits. José Valentín (3) and David Wright (2) combined for five of the seven hits for the Mets. Over the course of his Hall of Fame career, Cabrera had plenty of big hits. He had the biggest hit of the night for the Marlins on this day two decades ago. View full article

For the Florida Marlins, the 2011 season was a rollercoaster of a year. After a splendid April and May, the Marlins had a horrid June, going from 10 games over .500 to 11 games under in just over a month. On this day 15 years ago, however, the Marlins found a way to even their record with a come-from-behind win. Trailing by a run in the ninth inning, the Marlins took advantage of a throwing error by New York Mets infielder Justin Turner. The errant throw allowed two runs to score as Florida rallied for a 4-3 victory. The Marlins were 54-55 while the Mets were 55-54 as the teams squared off on Aug. 2, 2011. A go-ahead sixth-inning sacrifice fly from Lucas Duda was the difference as the Mets took the lead to the top of the ninth. Closer Jason Isringhausen took the mound, looking for the save. He opened the evening by walking Logan Morrison on five pitches. After getting the ever-dangerous Giancarlo (then known as Mike) Stanton for the first out, Isringhausen gave up a single to Mike Cameron. On the very next pitch, Isringhausen hit John Buck to load the bases with one out. Facing pinch hitter Bryan Petersen, Isringhausen was able to get ahead in the count, 0-2. On the third pitch, Petersen hit a slow roller to Turner at second base. Indecisive on the play, Turner initially ran Buck toward first before throwing wide of the base in an effort to get Petersen. Both Morrison and Cameron scored to give Florida its first lead since the fifth inning. Isringhausen was able to retire the next two batters, but the damage was done. Florida lefty Randy Choate walked former Marlins catcher Ronny Paulino to open the bottom of the ninth, but closer Juan Carlos Oviedo (then known as Leo Núñez) promptly got Daniel Murphy to hit into a double play. Oviedo then struck out Jason Pridie to end the contest. Prior to the ninth, both runs for Florida had come on solo blasts by Omar Infante – one in the first and one in the fifth—off New York starter Chris Capuano. José Reyes tied the game at 1 with a solo shot off Brad Hand in the third. David Wright again drew the Mets even with an RBI groundout in the fifth before Duda gave New York its first lead in the sixth. Infante finished with three of the seven hits for the Marlins. Scott Hairston and Ángel Pagán each had two knocks for the Mets. With the win, the Marlins evened their record at 55-55. It would be the last time that Florida was at or above .500 all season as it proceeded to lose its next seven games. The Marlins' time back at .500 was short, but they got there on this day 15 years ago. View full article

During parts of five seasons with the Florida Marlins, Josh Willingham hit 63 home runs, including three walk-off bombs. The first of those three blasts came on this day 20 years and off a Hall of Fame closer. Against Billy Wagner, Willingham played the role of hero at Dolphins Stadium on Aug. 1, 2006. His walk-off pinch-hit two-run blast lifted Florida to a 6-5 win over the New York Mets. The Marlins had never led as they came to bat in the bottom of the ninth against Wagner. Wagner threw just three pitches, but that’s all Florida needed to complete the comeback. Trailing 5-4, catcher Miguel Olivo started the rally by lining Wagner’s first offering to centerfield for a single. Pinch hitter Wes Helms moved him over to second one pitch later with a successful sacrifice bunt. With lead-off man Alfredo Amézaga 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, the Marlins turned to Willingham to grab a bat. Willingham turned on the first pitch he saw from Wagner over the “teal tower” in left field for the walk-off two-run blast. Prior to Willingham’s shot, Florida had never led but it did draw even twice. After the Mets took an early 1-0 lead on a Carlos Delgardo single in the top of the first, Cody Ross answered with an RBI double in the bottom of the inning. Carlos Beltrán’s two-run home run highlighted a three-run third inning for the Mets to go up 4-1, but a two-run blast from Hanley Ramírez and an RBI double from starting pitcher Scott Olsen drew Florida even in the fourth. The Mets regained the lead, 5-4, on José Reyes’ solo bomb off Randy Messenger to lead off the seventh. While Willingham delivered the Marlins with the lone pitch he saw for the evening, Ramírez and Olivo each finished with two hits. Former Marlins All-Star catcher Paul Lo Duca had three hits, a run scored and an RBI for the Mets. Reyes scored three of the five New York runs. Over parts of 11 seasons in the big leagues, Willingham hit 195 home runs, including five walk-offs. His first came as a member of the Marlins and against a seven-time All-Star on this day two decades ago. View full article

When one thinks about Florida/Miami Marlins firsts, many of those are held by catcher Charles Johnson. The first-ever draft pick of the Florida Marlins, Johnson was also the club’s first Gold Glove winner and first All-Star behind the plate. A native of Fort Piece who played his college baseball at the University of Miami, Johnson was born July 20, 1971. He celebrates his 55th birthday today. Selected with the No. 28 overall pick in the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft, Johnson had two stints with the Marlins. Johnson was a member of the team from 1994 to 1998 and then again in 2001 and 2002. He made All-Star appearances during both stints. Johnson made his big-league debut in 1994 before transitioning to the team’s primary catcher a year later. In 1995, Johnson became the Marlins’ first Gold Glove winner—an award he would receive in four straight seasons. He was also just the fourth catcher to win a Gold Glove as a rookie. Luis Castillo is the only other Marlins player to win three straight Gold Gloves. In 1996, Johnson caught Al Leiter’s no-hitter—the first in Marlins history—as Florida topped the Colorado Rockies. In fact, Johnson caught the Marlins’ first three no-hitters in club history. He was behind the plate for Kevin Brown’s no-no against the San Francisco Giants in 1997 and A.J. Burnett’s wild no-hitter against the San Diego Padres in 2001. A day after Burnett’s no-hitter, Johnson came off the bench to hit a go-ahead pinch-hit grand slam. In 1997, Johnson made his first All-Star appearance, hitting .250 with 19 home runs and 63 RBIs. The 19 bombs would be his highest total as a member of the Marlins. Johnson also posted 4.4 wins above replacement (bWAR), the highest of his Marlins tenure. That season, Johnson helped the Marlins win their first World Series. He set an MLB record for catchers by playing in 123 games without an error. Johnson led baseball by throwing out 56 would-be base stealers. Johnson drove in the first run in Marlins postseason history with a solo blast in the seventh inning of a 2-1 win over the San Francisco Giants in Game 1 of the National League Division Series. In Game 1 of the World Series, Johnson followed Moises Alou’s three-run home run with a solo shot of his own to give the Marlins a 5-1 lead in an eventual 7-4 victory over the Cleveland Indians. During the postseason, Johnson hit .264, including .357 in the World Series, with the two homers and 10 RBIs. In Game 7 of the World Series, Johnson’s clutch one-out single in the bottom of the ninth moved Alou from first to third and set up Craig Counsell’s game-tying sacrifice fly. Florida would beat Cleveland in 11 innings to win its first title, 3-2. Johnson played just 31 games for the Marlins in 1998 before being packaged in a big-time trade that sent Gary Sheffield and Bobby Bonilla to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Todd Zeile and Mike Piazza to Florida. After spending the 1999 season with the Baltimore Orioles, Johnson had his best statistical offensive season in 2000 when he hit .304 with 31 home runs and 91 RBIs—all career-highs—for the Orioles and Chicago White Sox. Johnson signed as a free agent to return to the Marlins prior to the 2001 season. In 2001, Johnson would make his second and final All-Star Game, hitting .259 with 18 home runs and 75 RBIs. After batting .217 with six home runs and 36 RBIs in 2002 for Florida, Johnson spent 2003 and 2004 with the Rockies before returning to the Sunshine State to finish his career with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2005. In parts of seven total seasons with the Marlins, Johnson hit .241 with 75 home runs and 277 RBIs—both club records for a catcher. Johnson’s 8.6 defensive wins above replacement (dWAR) remains the highest in team history regardless of position. The standout and two-time All-Star turns 55 today. View full article

Over five seasons as a member of the Miami Marlins, Martín Prado hit just 22 home runs. His lone extra-innings shot came on this day 10 years ago. After the Marlins scored two runs in the ninth to force extra innings, Prado played the role of hero. His solo home run in the top of the 11th propelled Miami past the Philadelphia Phillies, 3-2. Through eight innings at Citizens Bank Park on July 18, 2016, Miami had managed just two hits and was on the short end of a 2-0 score. Looking to close it out, the Phillies turned to right-hander Jeanmar Gómez. Gómez began the night by getting Ichiro Suzuki to ground back to the mound. After a single by J.T. Realmuto, Gómez struck out Prado on just three pitches for the second out. On the very next pitch, Christian Yelich broke up the shutout with an RBI double. Yelich would go to third on a wild pitch as Giancarlo Stanton walked. Marcell Ozuna followed with the game-tying RBI single but pinch runner Yefri Pérez was thrown out at third base to end the threat. With the score now tied 2-2, the contest went to extras. After Fernando Rodney worked a scoreless ninth for the Marlins, both teams left runners in scoring position in the 10th. Lefty Brett Oberholtzer entered the contest for the Phillies in the top of the 11th. Leading off the inning for Miami was Prado. To that point, Prado was 0-for-4. After taking two pitches for balls, Prado took Oberholtzer’s letter-high fastball over the wall in left field for a no-doubter as the Marlins took their first lead, 3-2. AJ Ramos worked a 1-2-3 ninth to pick up the save. Kyle Barraclough, who worked a scoreless 10th, earned the win for Miami. The late collapse for Philadelphia spoiled a stellar start from Aaron Nola, who allowed just two hits in six shutout innings. It also got Miami starter José Fernández off the hook for the loss. Fernández allowed just two runs on four hits in 6 ⅓ innings while tying a career-high with 14 strikeouts. Maikel Franco got the scoring started for the Phillies with an RBI groundout in the first inning. Tommy Joseph took Fernández deep for a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the seventh to cap the Philadelphia scoring. After winning in 11 innings to open the series, the Marlins earned another extra-innings win the following night to clinch the series. As for Prado, only two of his 100 career home runs over 14 years in the big leagues came in extra innings. The last of those came as a member of the Marlins and on this day a decade ago. View full article

Since their inauguration in 1993, the Florida/Miami Marlins have had walk-off wins in just about every way imaginable. Heck, the Marlins even won their first playoff game and first World Series in walk-off fashion. On this day 30 years ago, the Florida Marlins picked up their first-ever win on a walk-off walk. Quilvio Veras drew the free pass to plate in the winning run in a 3-2 win over the Houston Astros. After recording the final out in the eighth inning at Joe Robbie Stadium on July 16, 1996, Todd Jones was sent out to pitch the bottom of the ninth for Houston. Jones started the inning by getting Devon White to fly out. From there on, however, Jones struggled to find the strike zone. Jones walked Greg Colbrunn on four pitches before getting Alex Arias to line out. Charles Johnson followed by drawing a six-pitch walk to put the winning run in scoring position. One pitch later, Jones hit Andre Dawson to load the bases. With Jones struggling to throw strikes, Veras, the Florida lead-off man, was the perfect hitter to come up with the bases loaded. Veras battled by fouling off pitches before taking the seventh pitch of the plate appearance low and inside for ball four, allowing Colbrunn to trot home for the winning run. The Marlins managed just four hits but never trailed in the contest. Veras plated the first run with an RBI single in the third to score Johnson. In the fifth, Johnson’s solo home run extended the lead to 2-0. Houston drew even with a pair of runs in the seventh. After a Ricky Gutiérrez RBI groundout broke up the shutout, Rick Wilkins singled home the tying run. Both starting pitchers allowed just two runs on four hits. Doug Drabek went 7 2/3 innings for the Astros. John Burkett gave the Marlins seven strong innings. Yorkis Pérez worked a scoreless ninth to earn the win. Édgar Rentería had two of the four hits for Florida; Derek Bell had two of the five knocks for the Astros. The Marlins would beat Houston again the following night to complete the three-game series sweep. The 1996 season for Florida would be the best in franchise history to that point with 80 wins. That included seven walk-off wins. The only one that didn’t require a swing came on this day three decades ago. View full article

Over 34 years as a franchise, the Florida/Miami Marlins have had their fair share of high-scoring efforts. The club has also erased some big deficits. Only once, however, have the Marlins turned a five-run deficit into a win by double digits. It happened on this day 30 years ago. After falling behind early to the Houston Astros, the Florida Marlins erupted for 15 unanswered runs in a 15-5 victory. For the early parts of the July 15, 1996 contest at Joe Robbie Stadium, it didn’t appear to be the Marlins’ night. Against Florida starter Pat Rapp, Sean Berry gave the Astros the early lead with a two-run double in the first inning. Orlando Miller led off the second with a solo home run before Craig Biggio added an RBI single later in the frame. Before some fans could sit down, Miller’s sacrifice fly in the third inning extended the Houston lead to 5-0. After three disappointing innings from Rapp on the mound, Florida interim manager John Boles didn’t hesitate to make a change as Kurt Abbott was called upon to hit for the Marlins starting pitcher to lead off the third. Abbott singled before scoring Florida’s first run on a balk. In fact, the Marlins would score four times in the bottom of the third inning to cut the deficit to one. Following a sacrifice fly from Devon White, Joe Orsulak singled home two. In the fourth, Gary Sheffield plated a run with a groundout and just like that, the teams were all square. The Marlins got two scoreless innings from reliever Donn Pall. In the bottom of the fifth, pinch hitter Alex Arias put Florida in front to stay with an RBI single. An errant throw from Derek Bell in right field allowed a second run to score and what had been a 5-0 deficit had become a 7-5 Florida lead. The Marlins, however, were far from done. In the sixth, RBI singles from White and Charles Johnson bookended an RBI triple from Terry Pendleton as the lead ballooned to 10-5. In the seventh, Édgar Rentería left the yard with a two-run home run before Pendleton plated his second run of the night with a single. Jesús Tavárez and White added RBI singles in the eighth to put the exclamation point on the win. As a team, the Marlins finished with a then franchise-record 24 hits. Sheffield and Pendleton each finished the night with four hits. At the top of the order, Quilvio Veras and Rentería each went 3-for-6 with three runs scored. While the Florida offense scored in six straight innings, the bullpen kept the Astros off the board over the final six frames. Pall earned the win while Donne Wall took the loss for Houston. Pall, David Weathers and Robb Nen combined to allow just two hits and one walk for the Marlins in relief. The record 24 hits for Florida would last nearly seven years before being broken by the 2003 World Series-winning team on July 1. It, however, remains the second-highest single-game hit total in team history. It occurred on this day three decades ago. View full article

Although not all good, Wrigley Field has held some dear memories for fans of the Florida/Miami Marlins. It’s the place where the club won its second National League pennant and most recent postseason series. While it didn’t quite bring that level of jubilation, the Florida Marlins picked up a victory worth remembering at the “Friendly Confines” on this day 15 years ago. Shut out for eight innings, the Marlins erupted for six runs in the ninth inning in a 6-3 win over the Chicago Cubs. It didn’t appear as though it would be Florida’s night as the Marlins and Cubs opened a four-game set on July 14, 2011. Matt Garza had given the Cubs seven shutout innings before Sean Marshall worked a 1-2-3 eighth. As the contest shifted to the ninth, Chicago turned to right-hander Carlos Marmól with a 2-0 lead. An All-Star for the Cubs in 2008, Marmól walked the first three batters he faced while mixing in just one total strike. Against pinch hitter Greg Dobbs, the Chicago right-hander was able to finally find the strike zone, but the results were even worse. On the eighth pitch of the at-bat, Dobbs doubled down the right-field line, scoring two. A throwing error by Chicago’s Darwin Barney allowed a third run to score as the Marlins took the lead. Following another four-pitch walk – this one to Emilio Bonifácio – Marmól’s night was done. Florida’s big inning, however, wasn't done. With Florida now leading 3-2, Kerry Wood came in and walked Omar Infante. After Gaby Sánchez’s sacrifice fly extended the lead to 4-2, Hanley Ramírez singled home Bonifácio to push it to 5-2. Lefty James Russell then became the third Cubs pitcher to throw in the inning. Russell started by getting Logan Morrison to ground out. Following an intentional walk to Giancarlo (then known as "Mike") Stanton, Mike Cameron singled in Infante to cap a six-run inning. Now down 6-2, the Cubs did their best to make things interesting in the bottom of the ninth. Tony Campana and Geovany Soto opened with back-to-back singles off Juan Carlos Oviedo (then known as Leo Núñez). Although a run scored on a passed ball, Oviedo retired the next three batters to end the contest. Prior to the ninth, the Cubs’ runs had come courtesy of a Marlon Byrd solo home run in the second and a Barney hit by pitch with the bases loaded in the seventh inning. Soto had four of the eight Chicago hits. Bonifácio and Infante each had two hits for the Marlins. The big ninth inning gave the Marlins the opener of what would be a four-game series at Wrigley. Florida ended up taking three of those contests. To that point in the season, the six runs in the ninth was the most that the Marlins had scored in any inning that season. They came on this day 15 years ago. View full article