Mike Ferguson

On this date 20 years ago, the All-Star third baseman came up clutch for the first-place Marlins. Wins have been tough to come by for the Miami Marlins this season, but the franchise has had its fair share of exciting victories. Consider what the then-Florida Marlins achieved on this day 20 years ago. The Marlins were 28-20 and in first place in the National League East as they prepared for the middle game of a three-game set against the New York Mets at Pro Player Stadium on May 29, 2004. Florida took the lead in the first as Lenny Harris grounded into a double play to plate a run. The Mets drew even on a Ty Wigginton solo homer in the second inning and took the lead in the fourth on a Karim Garcia RBI single. Álex González’s RBI single in the bottom of that inning scored Jeff Conine and evened the contest. Florida had won in walk-off fashion more than a week before against the Arizona Diamondbacks on a bases-loaded walk to Mike Redmond, but the only walk-off home run of the season for 2004 would come against the Mets off the bat of Mike Lowell. An All-Star, Gold Glove winner and one of the best to ever don a Marlins uniform, Lowell was no stranger to the dramatic home run. Lowell had a few of those during the Marlins’ World Series run the year prior and one in the 12th inning the month prior to beat the Philadelphia Phillies when he became the first Marlin ever to hit three homers in a game. With the score tied 2-2 in the bottom of the 10th, no one on and one out, Lowell found himself facing former teammate Braden Looper. He turned around the second pitch he saw and pulled it over the left-field wall for a walk-off solo home run. 5-29-04 marliniversary.mp4 Lowell finished the night 2-for-2 and reached base four times for the Marlins in the victory. Conine and González also had two hits apiece. As for Florida as a team, it didn’t have another walk-off home run until May 10, 2007 when Josh Willingham hit a three-run walk-off blast to break a scoreless tie to beat the Los Angeles Dodgers. Lowell’s game-winner would serve as the final walk-off hit in his time with the Marlins and it came on this day two decades ago. View full article

Tommy Phelps had his finest day 20 years ago. In more than three decades as a franchise, the Florida/Miami Marlins have had their fair share of no-hitters. On this day 20 years, three Florida Marlins combined to throw a one-hit shutout with perhaps the unlikeliest of starters. On May 26, 2004, lefty Tommy Phelps had the finest day of his Major League Baseball career. Phelps allowed just a hit in seven shutout innings as the Florida Marlins downed the Cincinnati Reds, 3-0. In three years in the bigs, Phelps made just 11 starts and picked up just four wins. Against the Reds at Great American Ball Park, Phelps yielded just a two-out double to Sean Casey in the fourth. He did issue a pair of walks, but one of those was negated by a double play. Phelps had never made it past the sixth inning in any of his previous starts nor would he again. Matt Perisho and Armando Benitez each worked around walks over the final two innings to secure the one-hit shutout. The Marlins went ahead for good in the top of the second inning as Jeff Conine doubled home Miguel Cabrera. Hee-Seop Choi added to the lead with a solo home run off Cincinnati starter Todd Van Poppel. Mike Redmond capped the scoring with an RBI single off Todd Jones in the top of the ninth. While the Reds managed just one hit, Florida banged out eight. Redmond and Cabrera each recorded two hits. Cabrera scored two of three runs for the Marlins. For Phelps, the victory would serve as his only win of the 2004 season and the last of his big-league career. It came on this day two decades ago. View full article

Five years ago, Garrett Cooper busted out the big bat late with a game-winning grand slam. The 2019 Miami Marlins lost 105 games, but for a 41-game stretch from mid-May through June, they won more than they lost. One of the most memorable wins from that stretch came on this day five years ago. Garrett Cooper played the role of hero for Miami on May 23, 2019. His ninth-inning grand slam capped a five-run frame as the Marlins completed the three-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers, 5-2. For eight innings at Comerica Park, Miami had managed just five hits. Trailing 2-0, an error by Detroit third baseman Dawel Lugo on grounder off the bat of Harold Ramirez breathed life into the struggling Marlins. Tigers closer Shane Greene was able to Martín Prado to ground out, but Neil Walker followed with an RBI single to break up the shutout. Following a four-pitch walk to Miami catcher Jorge Alfaro, Greene was able to get the groundball he needed. A hustling Miguel Rojas, however, was able to beat out a close play at first and the inning continued. Rojas proceeded to steal second base, which prompted Greene to intentionally walk Curtis Granderson to load the bases. That set the stage for Cooper. 0-for-4 on the day, Cooper had jumpstarted the offense the night before with his first career home run—a solo shot—as the Marlins erased a 3-0 deficit to leave with a 6-3 victory. Down 0-1 in the count, Cooper pounced on a breaking ball and was able to keep it fair down the left-field line for the go-ahead grand slam. Sergio Romo was able to retire the Tigers in order in the ninth to pick up the save and complete the sweep. Tyler Kinley picked up the win for the Marlins. Scoreless through five and a half innings, a sacrifice fly by Ronny Rodríguez off Miami starter Trevor Richards in the sixth gave Detroit a 1-0 lead. Miguel Cabrera, a former World Series hero for the Marlins, doubled the Tigers' lead with an RBI single in the eighth. Cooper's slam not only gave the Marlins the sweep of the Tigers, but it ran their winning streak to six games. That would serve as their longest winning streak of the season. It came on this day five years ago. View full article

On this day 25 years ago, Derrek Lee ended a marathon contest against Pittsburgh. For the Florida Marlins, the 1999 season wasn't one to remember fondly. After a horrendous start, however, the team showed improvement as the year went on. On this day 25 years ago, the club found a way to win in one of the longest games it played all season. After seven straight scoreless innings, Derrek Lee sent the crowd home happy with a walk-off single in the 14th inning as Florida outlasted the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3. Neither team had scored since the sixth inning at Pro Player Stadium on May 20, 1999, as the contest headed to the bottom of the 14th. Antonio Alfonseca had worked three hitless, scoreless innings to give the Marlins a chance to walk it off. Facing Pittsburgh closer Mike Williams, Cliff Floyd got the inning started with a fantastic at-bat, drawing an eight-pitch walk. After Kevin Orie grounded out to move Floyd to second, Williams intentionally walked Mark Kotsay to get to Lee and set up the double play. That turned out to be a mistake. With the count even 1-1, Lee hammered one into the right-centerfield gap. His shot one-hopped the wall and Floyd scored easily to give the Marlins the win in the series opener. Tied 2-2 through four innings, the Pirates took the lead in the fifth on a solo home run by Brian Giles. In the bottom of the sixth, Florida drew even as Pittsburgh's Kris Benson balked home Kotsay. h70iki_1.mp4 Bruce Aven finished with three hits for the Marlins while Floyd and Preston Wilson each added two. Jason Kendall had four hits for the Pirates while Giles finished 2-for-5 with the aforementioned homer and two RBIs. The story, however, was the Florida bullpen. Brent Billingsley, Brian Edmondson, Braden Looper and Alfonseca combined to allow just three hits in eight scoreless innings of relief. Alfonseca earned the win. A six-year member of the Marlins, Lee would go on to have plenty of big moments for the team. His first walk-off hit for the club came on this day a quarter-century ago. View full article

Giancarlo Stanton's bomb in extras was the difference on this day 10 years ago. For the early parts of May, dramatic victories was a theme for the 2014 Miami Marlins. The club opened the month by winning seven of their first eight games, which included three walk-off wins. On this day 10 years ago, the Marlins got the job done in extras. Giancarlo Stanton's blast in the 11th inning was the difference as Miami outlasted the San Diego Padres, 3-1. The Marlins had just four hits through 10 innings as they came to bat in the top of the 11th at Petco Park on May 8, 2014. San Diego's Dale Thayer appeared to be on the verge of working a 1-2-3 inning, but an error second baseman Jedd Gyorko on a groundball from Derek Dietrich kept the inning alive. It would prove costly. Despite being behind in the count 0-2, Stanton was able to rocket Thayer's delivery the other way and over the right-field wall for the two-run go-ahead homer. Steve Cishek worked a 1-2-3 bottom half of the inning to secure the save. 5-8-14 giancarlo stanton hr padres.mp4 The Padres' lone run came in the second inning on Ian Kennedy's solo home run off Miami starter Jacob Turner. Miami drew even in the sixth on an RBI single from Dietrich that scored Christian Yelich. In a contest that featured little offense, San Diego outhit the Marlins 7-5. Everth Cabrera had two hits for the Padres. AJ Ramos worked two scoreless innings out of the bullpen to pick up the win for Miami. Still the club's all-time leader in home runs, Stanton had plenty of timely blasts during his tenure with Miami. His 11th-inning bomb in San Diego was the difference on this day a decade ago. View full article

Before there was Monte Harrison, there was Josh Booty. Former Miami Marlins outfielder Monte Harrison has appeared in just 50 career games at the Major League Baseball level, but the Missouri native was the subject of headlines on Tuesday for a different sport: college football. Harrison will take his talents to Fayetteville, Ark. and walk on as a wide receiver for the University of Arkansas. A top-400 national prospect out of high school, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Harrison was committed to play for Nebraska. He was selected in the second round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers and received a $1.8M signing bonus in order to pursue a professional baseball career instead. Harrison was acquired by the Marlins in a 2018 trade that sent eventual National League MVP Christian Yelich to Milwaukee. A stellar athlete, Harrison made his big-league debut for the Miami Marlins in 2020. Used primarily as a pinch-runner, Harrison hit just .175 with one home run, three RBIs, and six stolen bases over 41 total games with Miami during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. 86e16197-1d4f2bee-1e136861-csvm-diamondx64-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Following his 2022 release, Harrison signed with the Los Angeles Angels. He had just two hits in 11 at-bats with the Angels in 2022—his final action in the majors. What becomes of Harrison's football career remains to be seen, but when it comes to former Marlins spurning baseball for college football, the speedy outfielder is not alone. Drafted fifth overall out of Shreveport, La. by the Florida Marlins in the 1994 MLB Draft, third baseman Josh Booty appeared in games in the big leagues in three different seasons for the club (1996, 1997 and 1998). Despite being limited to just 13 career games and 30 plate appearances, Booty held his own at the plate. The Louisiana native batted a respectable .269, which included going 3-for-5 during the Marlins' first championship season of 1997. While Booty may have been a long-term asset for the Marlins, one might conclude that he made a bigger name for himself on the gridiron in the SEC. Booty enrolled at LSU prior to the 1999 season. As a 24-year-old freshman, Booty saw plenty of the field. He attempted 333 passes as a freshman, but completed fewer than half of his throws and finished with nearly three times as many interceptions as touchdown passes. As a team, the Tigers finished just 3-8, which led to the departure of head coach Gerry DiNardo. Interesting enough, Booty would have the distinction of being legendary head coach Nick Saban's first starting quarterback in the SEC. During the 2000 season, Booty started nine games, leading the Tigers to a 6-3 record in those starts. As a team, LSU finished 8-4 and ranked in the final AP Poll for the first time in three years, following a 28-14 win over Georgia Tech in the Peach Bowl. Booty wouldn't stick around for LSU's run to the SEC title in 2001, but with 17 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions, did enough to be selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. Booty would never take a snap in an NFL regular season game. Despite going 15 years without taking the field, Booty wasn't released by the Marlins until 2013. At 37 years old, he would get a shot with the Arizona Diamondbacks shortly after. He was released during the spring about a month into his tenure with Arizona. Booty isn't likely to have his jersey retired in Baton Rouge, but it is worth noting that when he arrived, LSU was coming off consecutive losing seasons. As starting quarterback, he helped begin a streak of 20 consecutive winning campaigns for the Tigers. Arkansas finished just 4-8 on the gridiron in 2023. Perhaps Harrison can play a small role in changing the Razorbacks' fortunes. View full article

Bruce Aven made Marlins history 25 years ago today. The 1999 season wasn’t one that the Florida Marlins will remember with any particular fondness, but like any other baseball season, it had its fair share of memories. One of the most thrilling from that particular season took place on this day 25 years ago. The Marlins were a league-worst 6-22 as they made their way to Dodger Stadium to begin a three-game set against the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 7, 1999. Florida had lost eight straight heading into the contest and had failed to win a series all season. That trend looked to inevitably continue as Florida trailed 3-1 after six innings. To that point, the Marlins had mustered just a run on four hits against Los Angeles starter Darren Dreifort before stringing hits together in the top of the seventh. After an RBI double from Todd Dunwoody cut the Dodgers’ lead in half, Dreifort intentionally walked catcher Jorge Fabregas to load the bases. From there, Los Angeles went to the bullpen and Florida went to the bench. Bruce Aven was called to pinch-hit for starting pitcher Dennis Springer and stepped to the plate to face Alan Mills with one out. On a 2-2 pitch, Aven was able to hammer a fastball over the left field wall for a pinch-hit grand slam to give the Marlins a 6-3 lead. The blast for Aven was just the second home run of his career and the first pinch-hit grand slam in club history. 5-7-24 marliniversary.mp4 Aven’s memorable blast would cap the scoring as the Marlins went on to win the series by taking the rubber game two days later. Springer earned the win for Florida while Dreifort was tagged with the loss. The only other ball to leave the yard that night was hit by Los Angeles third baseman Adrián Beltré, a solo shot in the third to get the scoring started. There have been other notable pinch-hit grand slams in the Marlins’ 32-year history from the likes of Ryan McGuire and Jeremy Hermida. The first-ever, however, came from Bruce Aven and on this day a quarter-century ago. View full article

Down 3-0 in the eighth, Casey McGehee lifted the Miami Marlins to a thrilling 4-3 win over the New York Mets on this day 10 years ago. After a dismal 2012 season and spending 2013 in Japan, third baseman Casey McGehee experienced a bounce-back campaign as a member of the Miami Marlins in 2014. On this day 10 years ago, McGehee capped the comeback with a walk-off single in a 4-3 win over the New York Mets. Through seven innings at Marlins Park on May 5, 2014, the Marlins could get absolutely nothing going offensively. With Mets starting pitcher Jon Niese done after seven shutout innings, allowing just five hits, Miami finally got the bats going against the New York bullpen. Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the eighth, the Marlins drew even with three runs in the frame. After opening the inning with back-to-back walks on great at-bats against reliever Daisuke Matsuzaka, the Marlins used a Giancarlo Stanton RBI single to break up the shutout. Following a fielding error that scored Ed Lucas, Jarrod Saltalamacchia doubled home the tying run to even things at three apiece. With runners at second and third and nobody out, Kyle Farnsworth was able to come in and put out the fire for the Mets. Steve Cishek erased a walk to Lucas Duda by getting Travis d'Arnaud to ground into a double play in the top of the ninth to give the Marlins the chance to walk it off. Christian Yelich started the home half of the inning with a single off Scott Rice. New York turned to González Germen. A sacrifice bunt and an intentional walk set the stage for McGehee. With two on and nobody out, McGehee was down in the count 0-2 when he lined one back at Germen. The shot ricocheted off the Mets right-hander and into right field for the walk-off single as Yelich scored easily from second. czwhkd_1.mp4 McGehee and Yelich each finished with a pair of hits for Miami in the win. David Wright and Curtis Granderson each did likewise for the Mets. Granderson and Daniel Murphy homered in the first inning to give the Mets an early 2-0 lead. The walk-off win for the Marlins was the second in as many days and part of a five-game winning streak in which Miami tallied three walk-off wins. The first of two against the Mets came on this day a decade ago. View full article

An error by Cincinnati's Paul Janish gave the Marlins a 14-inning walk-off win 15 years ago. The early parts of the 2009 season had plenty of thrilling moments for the Florida Marlins. Four of the Marlins' first 15 wins came in extra innings. On this day 15 years ago, the Marlins got their first extra-innings walk-off win of the season. A throwing error by Cincinnati Reds shortstop Paul Janish in the 14th inning lifted the Marlins to a thrilling 3-2 win. The Marlins hadn't scored since the sixth inning as the May 4, 2009 contest at Land Shark Stadium went to the 14th. In his third inning of relief, Burke Badenhop worked around a two-out single from Janish to give his team a chance to walk it off. Facing Danny Herrera, Marlins catcher Ronny Paulino started the 14th by drawing a walk. After getting the scoring started with a solo home run in the first inning, Hanley Ramírez singled on the very next pitch for his third hit of the night to put the winning run in scoring position. Jorge Cantú was able to get ahead in the count 2-0 before hitting a hard ground ball at Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto. Votto threw to second to start what looked to be a sure double play, but Janish's return throw skipped away from the covering Herrera and allowed Paulino to score the winning run. Following Ramírez's blast in the first, Florida didn't add to its lead until an RBI single from Jeremy Hermida in the sixth made it 2-0. The Reds answered with two runs in the top of the seventh off Marlins starter Josh Johnson. Like Ramírez, Emilio Bonifácio finished with three hits for Florida. Cody Ross went 2-for-6 in the win. Janish, Votto, and Chris Dickerson each notched a pair of hits for the Reds. The 14 innings would be the most the Marlins would play all season. Florida scored the winning run on a throwing error on this day 15 years ago. View full article

The Marlins scored six runs in the 10th to complete their comeback on this day 15 years ago. Late-inning comebacks turned out to be a theme for the Florida Marlins early during the 2009 season. On this day 15 years ago, Florida turned a nail-biting extra-inning contest into a six-run rout. After trailing most of the way at Wrigley Field on April 30, 2009, the Marlins drew even with runs in the seventh and eighth. Florida went ahead for good with six runs in the 10th in an 8-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs. For six innings, Florida had no answer for and just three hits off Chicago starter Sean Marshall. Trailing 2-0, Jorge Cantú broke up the shutout by leading off the seventh with a solo home run. Against the usually reliable Carlos Mármol, two walks and a throwing error allowed the Marlins to draw even at two. After seven strong innings from Chris Volstad, Dan Meyer and Kiko Calero combined to throw two scoreless innings of relief to get the contest to the 10th. Facing Aaron Heilman, Alfredo Amézaga got the 10th inning started for Florida with a lead-off double. Following a walk to pinch-hitter Wes Helms, an error on a ground ball from Emilio Bonifácio allowed the Marlins to take their first lead, 3-2. The Fish, however, were just getting started. Cameron Maybin's bunt single scored Helms before a walk to Jeremy Hermida loaded the bases. Cantú unloaded them with a three-run double to give the Marlins a commanding 7-2 lead. Heilman's night was done, but Florida's big 10th inning wasn't. Ángel Guzmán entered the game and promptly gave up an RBI double to Dan Uggla. Guzmán retired the next three batters to keep the deficit at 8-2, but the damage was done. The Marlins finished with 10 hits while Uggla, Maybin, Cantú, Amézaga and catcher Ronny Paulino each recording two. The Cubs' only runs came in the fifth inning on back-to-back home runs from Milton Bradley and Mike Fontenot. For Florida, the victory capped a 14-8 month of April. The Marlins finished with three extra-inning wins during the month. The last came in historic Wrigley Field on this day 15 years ago. View full article

Mike Lowell was the hero on this day 20 years ago. A four-time All-Star and a postseason hero for both the Florida Marlins and Boston Red Sox, third baseman Mike Lowell hit 27 home runs in 2004. One of the timeliest blasts from that All-Star season came on this day 20 years ago. Lowell's solo shot in the ninth inning put the Florida Marlins ahead for good in San Francisco. The shot off Félix Rodríguez lifted the Marlins to a 4-3 victory over the San Francisco Giants. In the first game of a four-game series, the Giants pushed across two runs in the bottom of the eighth at SBC Park to draw even on April 29, 2004. With the score tied 3-3, Rodríguez began his afternoon by getting Miguel Cabrera to fly out. Behind in the count 2-1 to Lowell, Rodriguez left a 96-mph fastball over the middle of the plate and the Florida third base lifted a no-doubter into the left-field stands. Florida relievers Justin Wayne and Frank Gracesqui combined to working a scoreless ninth, stranding the tying run at third. Lowell and Juan Pierre each finished with two of the six hits for the Marlins. Hee-Seop Choi and Ramón Castro also homered for Florida in the victory. Barry Bonds finished 2-for-2 with a solo home run in the loss, surpassing Hank Aaron for the most homers hit after the age of 35. A.J. Pierzynski and J.T. Snow each had two hits for San Francisco. Wayne earned the win for Florida while Gracesqui recorded his only career save. San Francisco would bounce back to take the final three games of the series. The lone Marlins win was decided on a ninth-inning blast from Lowell on this day two decades ago. View full article

On this day 30 years ago, the Florida Marlins erased a four-run deficit in the eighth to top the Colorado Rockies. As 1993 expansion sisters, it only made sense that the Florida Marlins and Colorado Rockies used one another to compare their early success. The Rockies were the first to make the postseason, but the Marlins are the only one of the franchises to have won the World Series. Colorado held a 7-5 edge in the inaugural season, but the Marlins dominated head-to-head competition in 1994, winning nine of the 12 meetings. On this day 30 years ago, Florida won in thrilling fashion with a five-run eighth to stun the Rockies, 8-7. A five-run fifth for Colorado had put the Rockies up 7-3 as the April 28, 1994 contest at Joe Robbie Stadium headed to the bottom of the eighth. To that point, Colorado starter Greg Harris had been solid, but manager Don Baylor may have left him in for too long. After a single by Jerry Browne and a walk to Gary Sheffield started the bottom of the eighth for Florida, Harris recorded his final out of the night as Jeff Conine flew out to right. A single by Orestes Destrade cut the lead to 7-4 and ended Harris' night. With Willie Blair now in relief, the Marlins took advantage. They went ahead for good with three straight hits. Blair threw just 13 pitches but failed to record an out. Bret Barberie followed Benito Santiago's RBI single with a single of his own to load the bases. Alex Arias kept the momentum going with a two-run single to center. An error by Rockies center fielder Ellis Burks allowed a third run to score as the Marlins went ahead for good, 8-7. Bruce Ruffin was able to retire the two Florida hitters he faced to keep it a one-run game before the Rockies threatened in the ninth. Three walks loaded the bases against Florida closer Jeremy Hernandez, but the right-hander was able to get the job done. After committing the costly error in the eighth, Burks grounded into a 5-3 double play to end the contest. Although his night ended on a low note, Burks finished 2-for-4 with a solo home run and three runs scored for Colorado in the loss. Dante Bichette and Roberto Mejía also went deep for Colorado. Arias and Chuck Carr each finished with two hits and two RBIs for the Marlins. Robb Nen worked a scoreless eighth to pick up the win. The thrilling win gave the Marlins their second one-run win over Colorado in as many nights and came one week after Florida took two of three from the Rockies at Mile High Stadium. It also came on this day three decades ago. View full article

Jarrod Saltalamacchia was the hero on this day 10 years ago. A backup catcher for most of his Major League Baseball career, Jarrod Saltalamacchia played in 123 games as a member of the Miami Marlins. One of his biggest moments with the club came on this day 10 years ago. Saltalamacchia was the hero for Miami as the Marlins rallied from four runs down to top the New York Mets in 10 innings, 7-6. Saltalamacchia's solo home run to lead off the 10th was the difference. The Marlins trailed 5-1 after five innings at Citi Field on April 26, 2014. Miami finally found its offense in the sixth with five runs to take the lead. After Giancarlo Stanton's two-run homer off New York starter Jenrry Mejía cut the lead in half, Adeiny Hechavarría drew Miami even later in the inning with a two-run single. Hechavarría ended Mejía's night, but Reed Johnson followed with an RBI double to give the Marlins their first lead, 6-5. A solo home run by Omar Quintanilla in the bottom of the inning tied the game for the Mets. After three scoreless frames, the contest went to extra innings. Having been 0-for-3 with two strikeouts to that point in the game, Saltalamacchia stepped to the plate to face Kyle Farnsworth to lead off the inning. Batting from the left side, the switch-hitting Miami catcher took the sixth pitch from Farnsworth—a 2-2 belt-high fastball—over the wall in left-center field for the go-ahead blast. The Mets were able to put the tying run on base in the bottom of the inning, but Steve Cishek was able to collect the save. Hechavarría's jumping catch on a soft liner to shortstop from Bobby Abreu ended the contest. Abreu started strong with a two-run homer in the first to give the Mets an early 3-0 lead. Lucas Duda also drove in a pair of runs for New York in the loss. Casey McGehee finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored for Miami. Mike Dunn struck out four in two scoreless innings of relief to pick up the win. Over 12 years in Major League Baseball, Saltalamacchia finished his career with 110 home runs. Two of those came in extra innings, but the only game-winner in extras came as a member of the Marlins on this day 10 years ago. View full article