Mike Ferguson

During his six seasons with the Florida Marlins, Derrek Lee had a flare for the dramatic hit and the dramatic home run. One of those came 25 years ago when the Marlins and New York Mets opened a three-game series at Pro Player Stadium on July 3, 2000. Lee’s two-run walk-off shot broke a scoreless tie and lifted the Marlins to a 2-0 victory. Starting pitchers Jesús Sánchez and Bobby J. Jones were each outstanding for their respective teams. Sánchez worked eight shutout innings, allowing just four hits and four walks while striking out four. Jones allowed four hits while striking out five in six shutout innings for the Mets. In the bottom of the ninth, Florida was able to get to the Mets bullpen. With the contest scoreless, Turk Wendell was called upon to try to get the game to extra innings. Things started smoothly for Wendell, who got Preston Wilson swinging to begin the inning. With one out, Mike Lowell’s sharp single to left put the winning run on base. That brought Lee to the plate. On the third pitch from Wendell, Lee took a slider to the deepest part of the ballpark and over the center field wall for a two-run shot. It was the Marlins’ third walk-off home run of the season and the first hit by someone other than Cliff Floyd. Lee had two of the six hits for the Marlins. Lefty Armando Almanza retired both batters he faced to earn the win for Florida. The Mets finished with just four hits, but left 10 men on base. In a contest that saw 17 runs the next day, the Marlins clinched the series with a 9-8 victory. The Mets won the finale to avoid the sweep. Over six seasons with the Marlins, Lee had a number of big hits, but only one walk-off home run. Lee finished with three walk-off homers for his career. The first of those happened on this day a quarter-century ago. View full article

The 2013 National League Rookie of the Year, José Fernández was limited to just eight games in 2014 before going down with a season-ending injury. On this day 10 years ago, Fernández showed he still had it in his return from Tommy John surgery. In his first game in more than a year, Fernández gave the Miami Marlins six strong innings and a quality start. It was enough to pick up the win as the Marlins held off the San Francisco Giants, 5-4. Having not pitched since May 2014, it was understandable for there to be a little rust as Fernández took the mound at Marlins Park on July 2, 2015. San Francisco was able to get to Fernández for two runs in the first. From there, however, the right-hander looked like his old self— both on the mound and at the plate. Down 2-0 in the third, Adeiny Hechavarría singled home the first run for Miami. San Francisco's Grégor Blanco led off the fifth with a home run to extend the lead to 3-1. In the bottom of the inning, Fernández took matters into his own hands. Against Matt Cain, Fernández led off the inning with a solo home run to left to cut the deficit to 3-2. It would serve as the catalyst for a four-run inning. After a walk to Christian Yelich and a single from Hechavarría, Justin Bour put the Marlins ahead to stay with a three-run home run off Cain on the second pitch of the at-bat. What had been a two-run deficit for the Marlins to start the half-inning had become a two-run lead, 5-3. Following the Blanco blast to lead off the fifth, Fernández retired the final six batters he faced. For the night, he allowed three runs on seven hits with no walks and six strikeouts in six innings. The Giants closed to within 5-4 on a solo home run by Buster Posey off Carter Capps to lead off the eighth. Capps responded by striking out the side. AJ Ramos sealed the deal with retiring San Francisco in order in the ninth on just five pitches. Limited to just 11 starts, Fernández finished 6-1 with a 2.92 ERA in 2015. The following year, he made his second All-Star Game while setting career-highs for wins, innings pitched, and a team-record 253 strikeouts. Fernández's life ended tragically when a boat he was operating struck a jetty at Miami Beach in the early morning hours on Sept. 25, 2016, killing Fernández, Eduardo Rivero and Emilio Jesus Macias. While many have criticized Fernández's actions that culminated in his death and the death of two others, his short but stellar baseball career is worth remembering. He picked up his 17th career victory in his return from Tommy John on this day a decade ago. View full article

The 2015 season isn’t one that South Florida baseball fans will remember fondly, but it did have its moments. The Miami Marlins had nine walk-off wins that season and two by way of home run. The first of those came on this day 10 years ago. Miami hosted the San Francisco Giants at Marlins Park on July 1, 2015. When the night was over, the series was clinched with a 6-5 win, courtesy of a three-run walk-off home run by Justin Bour. The Marlins had just five hits total entering the final inning. Their three runs had all come in the third inning. Miami led 3-2 after five, but San Francisco went ahead with two runs in the sixth. After Brandon Belt tied the game with a sacrifice fly, Brandon Crawford’s solo homer gave the Giants a 4-3 lead. San Francisco added an insurance run on Matt Duffy’s RBI infield single in the seventh. The Marlins were unable to get a hit against the San Francisco bullpen. It didn’t take long, however, to figure out Giants closer Santiago Casilla. Both hitless to that point, Christian Yelich and Adeiny Hechavarría got the inning started for the Marlins with back-to-back singles. That set the stage for Bour. After getting ahead in the count 1-0, Bour got a fastball from Casilla and hammered a line-drive home run over the right-field wall. Casilla had blown the save and the Marlins had won the game in dramatic fashion. The Giants finished with 14 hits to just eight for Miami. Gregor Blanco was 3-for-4 with an RBI in the loss. Angel Pagan, Joe Panik and Duffy collected two hits apiece for San Francisco. But it was all for naught. Bour had two of the eight Miami hits. Dee Strange-Gordon had an RBI triple and a run scored. Starting pitcher Dan Haren also had an RBI hit and a run scored for Miami. On the mound, Steve Cishek worked a scoreless ninth to earn the win for the Marlins. Miami won 5-4 the next day to complete the series sweep. It marked just the third three-game sweep of the season for the Marlins. The most dramatic of those three wins came on this day a decade ago. View full article

Unlike some other sports, baseball’s version of “overtime” isn’t sudden death. Still, the team that scores first in extra innings wins the game more often than not. That wasn’t the case on this day 20 years ago for the Florida Marlins. Down to their last out, the Marlins pushed across two runs in the bottom of the 13th inning to stun the Atlanta Braves, 6-5, on the evening of June 29, 2005. The Marlins trailed 4-2 heading to the bottom of the ninth, but plated two runs against Atlanta closer Chris Reitsma. After Damion Easley lined out, the Marlins pieced together four straight singles. Miguel Cabrera’s RBI infield single to score Juan Pierre was followed by Carlos Delgado’s RBI single to score Luis Castillo and even the contest. Reitsma would get out of the inning with no further damage, but Florida had new life. Despite the blown save, things looked promising for Atlanta after Andruw Jones’ solo home run to lead off the 13th inning put the Braves back in front, 5-4. Marlins reliever John Riedling allowed a pair of singles and a walk to load the bases before striking out pitcher Jorge Vasquez to avoid any further damage. Vasquez was in line to be the winning pitcher, but was pulled after giving up a single to Castillo to open the bottom of the 13th. Adam Bernero was called on to try to save the contest for the Braves. Cabrera singled to put the winning run on base, but Bernero settled in to get Delgado and pinch hitter Matt Treanor to fly out to left. With two outs and two on, it was up to Paul Lo Duca. As Delgado had in the ninth, Lo Duca came through in the clutch. On a 3-2 pitch, Lo Duca rolled a ground ball up the middle and into center field for the tying RBI single. With still two on and two out, Juan Encarnación took the first Bernero pitch to right field for a line-drive single. Right fielder Ryan Langerhans was unable to throw Cabrera out at the plate as Florida celebrated a walk-off victory. Despite allowing the go-ahead homer in the 13th, Riedling earned the win for the Marlins. Offensively, Florida pounded out 17 hits. Castillo tallied four knocks while Cabrera, Lo Duca and Encarnación all had three hits. The teams combined to leave 28 men on base. The four-hour and 43-minute contest would serve as the longest game that the Marlins played all season in 2005. The fact that they emerged victorious made it all worth it. It happened on this day two decades ago. View full article

During the 2000 campaign, the Florida Marlins collected nine walk-off wins. That included four walk-off home runs. Two of those that season came off the bat of outfielder Cliff Floyd, including one on this day 25 years ago. The Marlins were 37-38 and looking to get to .500 as they hosted the Chicago Cubs at Pro Player Stadium for the finale of a three-game set on June 25, 2000. Floyd’s 10th-inning blast lifted the Marlins to an 8-7 victory to complete the sweep. The contest went back and forth before ending in dramatic fashion. The Marlins led 3-0 after an inning. Following a bases-loaded walk to Derrek Lee, shortstop Dave Berg came through with a two-run single. The Cubs drew to within one on a two-run homer by José Nieves off starter Ryan Dempster in the second before tying the game on a solo shot by Brant Brown in the third. A two-run triple in the fourth gave Chicago a 5-3 lead. The Marlins seemed to be in good shape entering the late innings after pushing across four runs in the seventh to take a 7-5 lead. Mark Smith and Lee each lifted two-run home runs during the frame. It took the Cubs just a half-inning to answer with a pair of unearned runs. Shortstop Álex González, who had entered the game that inning as a defensive replacement, made two errors in the top of the eighth. After Glenallen Hill’s RBI single drew Chicago to within one, Nieves tied the game at seven with a sacrifice fly to left. Closer Antonio Alfonseca worked a perfect top of the 10th. Cubs reliever Steve Rain had retired all four batters he faced, including catcher Mike Redmond to open the bottom of the 10th. Florida manager John Boles then called on Floyd to pinch hit. With Floyd coming to the plate, the left-handed slugger would get to see a familiar face. With one out and no one on, Cubs manager Don Baylor countered by going to the bullpen and lefty reliever Felix Heredia. They had been teammates with the Marlins for more than a season and both were members of the 1997 team that won the World Series. On the first pitch from Heredia, Floyd deposited the pitch into the right-field stands. The homer served as the second walk-off blast for Floyd that year and lifted the Marlins to an 8-7 victory. Berg and second baseman Luis Castillo each tallied two hits for the Marlins in the win. Castillo and third baseman Mike Lowell each scored a pair of runs in the victory. Alfonseca earned the win. Nieves drove in three runs for the Cubs. Brown was 2-for-5 with the solo shot and two runs scored. The night’s hero, however, saw just one pitch. Floyd wrapped up the sweep and sent the Sunday afternoon crowd home with a smile. He did so on this day a quarter-century ago. View full article

With two prior matchups in the postseason, the Chicago Cubs and Florida/Miami Marlins have more than their fair share of memorable head-to-head moments. Although probably not as widely remembered as the playoff contests, the meeting between the teams that took place on this day 25 years ago had a little bit of everything. On the diamond, however, the night would belong to the Florida Marlins. Back-to-back home runs from Preston Wilson and Derrek Lee highlighted a five-run eighth as 37-year-old rookie Joe Strong picked up his only big-league win as the Marlins rallied for a 7-4 victory. Solo home runs from Wilson and Lee had accounted for all the offense as the June 24, 2000 contest at Pro Player Stadium shifted to the bottom of the eighth. With Florida trailing 4-2, a one-out double by Dave Berg off Tim Worrell brought the tying run to the plate. Worrell was able to retire Luis Castillo for the second out of the inning. Cubs manager Don Baylor then went to his bullpen and lefty Félix Heredia, a former World Series champion with the Marlins. That turned out to be a mistake. On a 2-2 pitch, Mark Kotsay lined an RBI single to center field to cut the deficit to 4-3. Cliff Floyd followed by drawing a walk. Chicago turned to closer Rick Aguilera, but the three-time All-Star was unable to get the big out. Wilson had homered off starter Kevin Tapani to lead off the fifth inning and tie the game 1-1. After getting ahead 2-0 against Aguilera, the Florida centerfielder put his team in front for the first time and to stay with a laser shot to right field for a three-run home run to give the Marlins a 6-4 lead. Lee, who homered the inning prior, took Aguilera deep to left field on the very next pitch to provide some insurance. The 37-year-old Strong, who debuted a month and a half prior, recorded just one out and threw just four pitches but picked up the win when Antonio Alfonseca retired the Cubs in order in the top of the ninth. Sammy Sosa, who was given a star on Calle Ocho in the heart of Little Havana earlier in the day, struck out swinging on just three pitches to end the game. Sosa, however, did finish 1-for-4 with a sacrifice fly. Eric Young and José Nieves each had three hits for Chicago. Nieves finished with an RBI and two runs scored while finishing a home run short of the cycle. Young scored once and drove in a pair of runs. In addition to big nights from Wilson and Lee, Kotsay had three of the nine hits for the Marlins. Tapani and Marlins starter Chuck Smith each registered quality starts on the mound. On a day where Sosa was honored in South Florida and a 37-year-old rookie earned the win, the unusually large crowd of more than 35,000 got to witness Lee and Wilson become the first set of Marlins teammates to homer twice in the same game. It happened on this day a quarter-century ago. View full article

A Golden Spikes Award winner at Cal State Fullerton, outfielder Mark Kotsay was never a Major League Baseball All-Star, but had a very good 17-year career. His first four seasons came with the Florida Marlins. On this day 25 years ago, Kotsay finished with four hits and the Marlins needed every one of them. That included the go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning as Florida rallied past the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-4. Through six innings, the Marlins and Brewers were tied at Pro Player Stadium on June 21, 2000. In the top of the seventh, however, Jeromy Burnitz and Tyler Houston each took Florida starter Reid Cornelius deep for solo home runs. At the seventh-inning stretch, the Marlins were on the wrong side of a 3-1 score. Derrek Lee singled to lead off the bottom of the seventh, but Milwaukee starter Jimmy Haynes bounced back to retire Álex González and Paul Bako. After pinch hitter Mark Smith drew a five-pitch walk and the speedy Luis Castillo legged out an infield single to load the bases, the Brewers turned to lefty Valerio De Los Santos to face Kotsay. To that point, Kotsay was 3-for-3 with three singles. Needing a single to tie the game, Kotsay got a center-cut fastball from De Los Santos and did much more. The left-handed Kotsay turned on the 1-1 pitch for a no-doubted into the right-field stands to give Florida a 5-3 lead. The Brewers made things interesting in the top of the ninth against Florida closer Antonio Alfonseca. After pushing a run across to cut the deficit in half, Milwaukee put the tying run at third and the go-ahead run in scoring position with two outs. Alfonseca was able to get Lyle Mouton to pop out to end the contest. In addition to the big night from Kotsay, Castillo finished with two hits and two runs scored in the victory. Houston (3) and Charlie Hayes (2) combined for five of the 11 hits for the Brewers. Throughout his lengthy big league career, Kotsay hit 127 home runs, including three grand slams. In the rubber game of the three-game series, Kotsay's last of two grand slams as a Marlin capped a four-hit night and gave Florida a thrilling come-from-behind victory. It came on this day a quarter-century ago. View full article

Arguably the greatest player in Florida/Miami Marlins history, Giancarlo Stanton left Miami after the 2017 season as their all-time leader in numerous categories. That includes his franchise-record 267 home runs. The lone player to win National League MVP and a Home Run Derby for the Fish, the majority of Stanton’s blasts were no-doubters. His first career bomb came on this day 15 years ago. It was a grand slam in a 7-4 home victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. The Florida Marlins were riding a three-game losing streak as they arrived at Sun Life Stadium to open a three-game set against the Rays on June 18, 2010. Tampa Bay scored first, but it didn’t take long for Stanton to erase that early deficit. In a contest that had 11 total runs, seven came in the first inning. Ben Zobrist got the scoring started for Tampa Bay with a two-run double in the top of the first off Florida starter Nate Robertson. The Marlins answered with five runs in the bottom of the inning. Rays starting pitcher Matt Garza’s third walk of the first inning—this one to Cody Ross—chased home the first Marlins run. That brought Stanton, then known as Mike, to the plate with the bases still loaded. With the count full, Stanton took a high fastball from Garza and blasted it well over the left-field wall for a grand slam and a 5-2 Florida lead. That would serve as the game’s only long ball. The Marlins would add two more runs in the second inning on RBI singles by Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla. That would chase Garza and be all that Florida needed. Robertson overcame the rough first inning to go six innings and earn the win. Offensively, the Marlins pounded out 11 hits. Catcher Ronny Paulino had three. Chris Coghlan, Uggla and Stanton all had two. As for Stanton, it would be 10 days later before he hit his second home run. After that, they came with more regularity. Stanton led the National League in home runs in both 2014 and 2017. His 59 blasts in 2017 remains a club record and likely will for a long time. It beat Gary Sheffield’s previous team record of 42 set in 1996 by 17. As the old adage goes, “you never forget your first.” When it comes to home runs, that first for Giancarlo Stanton came on this day 15 years ago. View full article

Whether it be Charlie Hough, Tim Raines or Ichiro Suzuki, the Florida/Miami Marlins have had a number of former All-Stars spend parts of their 40s playing in their organization. One of the most notable is Hall of Fame outfielder Andre Dawson. A shell of his former self, Dawson spent his final two seasons with the Marlins. On this day 30 years ago, “The Hawk” did something only 10 players before him had: hit his 400th National League home run. The Florida Marlins were just 14-31 as they arrived at Veterans Stadium on June 16, 1995 to take on the Philadelphia Phillies in the opener of a three-game set. Dawson’s memorable blast would be the decisive hit as Florida topped Philadelphia, 2-1. Dawson began the season as a reserve, but had assumed the role of an everyday outfielder following an early-season injury to Gary Sheffield. After striking out in his first at-bat, Dawson stepped to the plate in the top of the fourth and made history. Jeff Conine had homered to start the inning off David West. With two outs and none on, Dawson followed suit with an opposite-field shot to right field. The blast not only gave Florida a 2-0, but it made Dawson just the 11th player to hit 400 National League homers. Dawson had hit 399 as a member of the Montreal Expos and Chicago Cubs. He joined Major League Baseball’s 400-home run club as a member of the Boston Red Sox in 1993, but his 400th in the NL came two years later. The two runs would be all that the Marlins would need. Philadelphia pushed across its only run in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI single by Jim Eisenreich. Florida closer Robb Nen was able to work out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam to keep the lead intact before working a perfect ninth. Both teams finished with just six hits, but the two big ones came off the bats of Conine and Dawson. Pat Rapp allowed just a run on five hits and six walks to earn the victory for the Marlins. West took the loss for Philadelphia. In two seasons with the Marlins, Dawson hit just 10 home runs. The first and most significant of them all came on this day three decades ago. View full article

Although it didn't culminate in a postseason appearance, the Florida Marlins' 2005 season certainly had its moments. For the second year in a row, the Marlins finished 83-79, marking a third straight winning season—still the longest stretch in franchise history. On this day 20 years ago, Florida clinched the three-game set against the Texas Rangers by rallying from five runs down to win, 6-5. The Marlins had taken the first game of the series the night before with a seven-run eighth to break a 5-5 tie. A grand slam by Kevin Mench off Al Leiter had highlighted the Rangers' strong start at Dolphins Stadium on June 11, 2005. As Florida came to bat in the bottom of the fourth, it was down 5-0 and still looking for its first hit. After Miguel Cabrera drew a two-out walk to give the Marlins their first base runner of the night, Florida's first runs and first hit came on the same swing. Carlos Delgado's two-run home run on a 2-2 pitch from Texas starter Kenny Rogers cut the deficit to three. Florida reliever Travis Smith was able to leave runners on the bases in each of the next two innings to keep the deficit at 5-2. In the sixth, the Marlins drew even with three runs. One-out singles from Juan Pierre and Luis Castillo brought the tying run to the plate for Florida. Two batters later, Delgado lined a 3-2 pitch to right field, scoring Pierre. One pitch later, Mike Lowell doubled home two to knot the score 5-5. John Riedling followed Smith's lead by stranding multiple Texas runners in the top of the seventh. In the bottom of the inning, Álex González led things off by taking Juan Domínguez deep. The solo shot to left gave the Marlins a 6-5 lead and put them ahead for good. The Rangers left nine men on base from the fourth through seventh innings. Unfortunately for Texas, that would be their last real scoring opportunities. Jim Mecir and Todd Jones each worked 1-2-3 innings for the Marlins to close things out and complete the comeback. Both teams finished with nine hits. Delgado and Paul Lo Duca each recorded a pair for Florida. Sandy Alomar Jr. (3) and Hank Blalock (2) combined for five hits for the Rangers. The Marlins were unable to complete the sweep the following day, but the five-run comeback gave Florida the series victory and served as the biggest deficit overcome all year by Florida in the Rangers' second-ever trip to South Florida. It came on this day two decades ago. View full article

Big innings and momentum often change the outcomes of baseball games. On this day 20 years ago, the Florida Marlins put a crooked number on the scoreboard that put them ahead to stay. The Marlins had let a 5-1 eighth-inning lead slip away at Dolphins Stadium as they came to bat in the bottom of the inning against the Texas Rangers on June 10, 2005. The Rangers had pushed four runs across in the top of the eighth to draw even. How would Florida respond? With seven runs in the bottom half of the inning and a 12-5 victory. The Rangers had collected five hits in the eighth with Richard Hidalgo and Rod Barajas coming through with RBI singles and a two-run double by Laynce Nix. It was a blown save for Todd Jones, who was brought in to stop the bleeding but not before allowing an inherited runner to score. For new pitcher and Texas right-hander Doug Brocail, the inning actually started promising. Brocail struck out Marlins outfielder Juan Encarnación on just four pitches to start the inning. That would be the only out that he would record. After singles by Álex González and Juan Pierre sandwiched around a walk to Lenny Harris loaded the bases, Brocail was unable to find the plate. The Marlins went back in front on a four-pitch walk to Luis Castillo. With one out, Brocail was able to get ahead in the count to Miguel Cabrera, 0-2, but Cabrera pulled a single to left to chase home an insurance run and end Brocail’s night. Brian Shouse came in for the Rangers and struck out Carlos Delgado, but with two outs, third baseman Mike Lowell would deliver the big blow. On the second pitch he saw from Shouse, Lowell went deep over the left-center field wall for a grand slam. A tie game to start the inning had become an 11-5 lead for Florida. The Marlins still weren’t done. After a double by catcher Paul Lo Duca and a single by Encarnación, González plated another run off Shouse with an infield single. Jeff Conine singled off C.J. Wilson one batter later, but Encarnación was thrown out at the plate by Hidalgo to end the inning. Marlins reliever Jim Mecir worked a scoreless ninth to end the game. Despite his struggles, Jones wound up earning the win for the Marlins. The Marlins finished with 17 hits to 11 for the Rangers. Encarnación and González each had three hits for Florida. Pierre, Castillo, Cabrera and Lo Duca each had two hits and two runs scored. For Texas, Michael Young had three hits. Barajas and Chan Ho Park, the starting pitcher, each added two hits for the Rangers. Florida would clinch the three-game series the next night with a 7-6 comeback victory. At that point in the year, however, the 12 runs scored in the series opener were a season-high. They came on this day two decades ago. View full article

The only player in franchise history to win National League MVP, Giancarlo Stanton is arguably the greatest Florida/Miami Marlin of all-time. The 2017 MVP, Stanton leads the Marlins all-time in home runs, slugging percentage, wins above replacement, RBIs and extra-base hits. It didn’t take long for the team to realize they had something special. Stanton collected three hits in his Major League Baseball debut on this day 15 years ago. The Florida Marlins were 28-30 as they made their way to Citizens Bank Park to face the Philadelphia Phillies on June 8, 2010. The contest turned out to be a heartbreaker for the Marlins as they blew multiple leads in a 10-8 loss, but Stanton created optimism for a bright future. After a first-inning home run by Gaby Sánchez gave Florida a 1-0 lead, Stanton made his first plate appearance in the top of the second and reached on an infield single with two outs. Stanton would come around to score his first big-league run on a double by catcher Ronny Paulino. The Marlins’ lead would double to 4-0 in the top of the third on a two-run homer by Hanley Ramírez. Philadelphia first baseman Ryan Howard cut the lead in half with a two-run home run during a three-run third for the Phillies. With the score now 4-3, Stanton came to the plate with a runner on and no one out in the top of the fourth. Stanton’s second at-bat was not as productive as he was struck out swinging by Philadelphia starter Kyle Kendrick on just three pitches. The Marlins were still able to push two runs across in the inning, thanks a two-run single by Chris Coghlan. With a Shane Victorino home run in the fourth and a pair of runs in the fifth, the contest was tied at six when Stanton came to the plate to lead off the top of the sixth. Stanton worked the count full before flying out to right field. The contest would again be tied when Stanton led off the Florida eighth. After the Phillies took the lead in the sixth, the Marlins drew even on an RBI double in the top of the seventh. Stanton helped Florida retake with a lead-off single to right. Two batters later, he would score his second run of the night to give the Marlins an 8-7 lead on a pinch-hit triple by Wes Helms. Unfortunately for Florida, that lead would not hold. The Phillies pushed three runs across in the bottom of the eighth with a two-run single from Ben Francisco and an RBI single by Wilson Valdez. Down 10-8 in the ninth inning, Stanton came to bat for the fifth time and in a high-pressure situation. With two runners on and two outs, Stanton came through, legging out another infield single to load the bases and keep the Marlins’ hopes alive. Paulino would pop out against Phillies closer Brad Lidge to end the contest. As for Stanton, his debut was a glowing success. Then known as Mike Stanton, the rookie finished the night 3-for-5 with a pair of runs scored. Stanton has more than 400 career home runs, five All-Star Game selections, a Home Run Derby crown and an MVP to his name. Now a member of the New York Yankees, he's projected to be reinstated from the injured list later this month to begin what will be his 16th MLB season. His first appearance in the big leagues came in a right field start on this day 15 years ago. View full article

During his five years with the Miami Marlins, shortstop Adeiny Hechavarría homered just 13 times. There were some big ones along the way, however, including on this day 10 years ago. On June 7, 2015, it came against the Colorado Rockies in the 10th inning at Coors Field. His solo shot lifted the Marlins to a 3-2 victory in the rubber game of a three-game set. Prior to Hechavarría’s heroics, both Miami runs had come in the first inning. Marcell Ozuna laced a two-run single off starter Kyle Kendrick to get the scoring started. Kendrick would allow just the two runs on five hits and a walk in seven innings for Colorado. Miami starter José Ureña yielded a run on three hits and two walks in six innings. Colorado got on the board in the fourth with a sacrifice fly from Nolan Arenado. The Rockies drew even in the bottom of the seventh on Carlos González’s solo home run off Carter Capps. Hechavarría stepped to the plate with two outs and the bases empty in the top of the 10th inning to face Boone Logan. Logan had retired Christian Yelich and J.T. Realmuto, but had fallen behind both batters, hinting that we was not especially sharp. Against Hech, Logan fell behind in the count 2-1 before trying to come inside with the breaking ball. Logan’s pitch hung and got too much of the plate. Hechavarría knew exactly what to do with it as he lifted the pitch out of the deepest part of the ballpark to center field. That would be all that Miami would need. Marlins’ closer AJ Ramos retired the Rockies in order in the bottom of the 10th to earn the save. Sam Dyson worked a scoreless ninth to earn the win. Dee Strange-Gordon was 3-for-4 with a run scored, while star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki had two of the five hits for Colorado in the loss. In 2015, the Marlins went 5-2 in seven games against the Rockies. Among those seven contests, there was only a single one-run game. That had plenty of drama and occurred on this day a decade ago. View full article