Mike Ferguson

On this day in 2005, Dontrelle Willis went the distance against the Phillies. Sandy Alcántara is the only member of the Florida/Miami Marlins to ever win the National League Cy Young Award. One, however, could argue that Dontrelle Willis' 2005 season was the best ever for a Marlins hurler. That season, Willis set the franchise record for wins and tied the record for shutouts. On this day 20 years ago, he opened the year with a second straight shutout in the Florida Marlins' 4-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. After tossing a five-hit shutout in his season debut against the Washington Nationals, Willis was even better as he took the mound at Dolphins Stadium on April 13, 2005. Willis tossed a three-hit shutout while allowing just a walk and striking out seven, including Jim Thome three times. On 114 pitches, Willis allowed just three singles. Only two Phillies reached scoring position for the entire afternoon. Willis completed the contest by getting Pat Burrell to fly out. For Florida, most of the offense came early. Miguel Cabrera got the scoring started with a sacrifice fly in the first inning. Matt Treanor and Damion Easley added RBI singles in the second and fourth innings, respectively. Cabrera's second sacrifice fly in the eighth capped the scoring. While Philadelphia managed just three hits, the Marlins finished with eight. Juan Pierre, Luis Castillo and Easley each finished with two hits and a run scored. The 2003 National League Rookie of the Year, Willis would be named an All-Star for the second time in 2005. He finished as the National League leader in wins (22), complete games (7), and shutouts (5) before finishing as runner-up for the Cy Young to Chris Carpenter of the St. Louis Cardinals. Willis' second of two straight shutouts to open the year came on this day two decades ago. View full article

On this date in 2010, Jorge Cantú got just enough distance on his fly ball to score Chris Coghlan with a game-winning sacrifice fly. For baseball fans, there are few things more exciting than a walk-off win. The Florida Marlins rallied to pull off that feat on this day 15 years ago against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Both the Marlins and Dodgers were 2-2 when the teams met at Sun Life Stadium for the middle game of a three-game set on April 10, 2010. The Marlins trailed by a pair of runs entering their final at-bat, but scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to win, 7-6. Florida led 4-3 after seven innings, but the Dodgers pushed two runs across in the eighth inning. With a pair of runners in scoring position, Andre Ethier laced a two-run single up the middle off Marlins reliever Dan Meyer. Up 5-4, Los Angeles would double its lead in the top of the ninth with a solo home run from Matt Kemp. Down two runs and to their final three outs, the Marlins started the ninth inning off on the right foot with a solid single to center field off the bat of Gaby Sánchez. The Dodgers went to the bullpen as George Sherrill replaced Ramon Troncoso. Command issues would immediately plague Sherrill as he hit pinch hitter Wes Helms before walking Chris Coghlan. With the bases loaded and no one out, Marlins’ manager Fredi González went to the bench. Catcher Ronny Paulino was called on to hit for outfielder Cameron Maybin. Maybin had been 2-for-4, but the move immediately paid off. On the second pitch he saw from Sherrill, Paulino lined a two-run double to center to tie the game. After intentionally walking Hanley Ramírez, Sherrill threw just two pitches to Florida’s Jorge Cantú. On the second, Cantú lifted a fly-ball to center field. It was deep enough to score Coghlan as the Marlins won in walk-off fashion with a three-run ninth. The Florida ninth was the third three-run inning of the game. The Dodgers used four hits in the third inning to take a 3-1 lead off Florida starter Josh Johnson. In the bottom of the fourth, Florida regained the lead on a three-run home run by Sánchez off Vicente Padilla. Sánchez finished with two hits while Ramirez was 2-for-3 with an RBI double that got the scoring started. Casey Blake was 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI for Los Angeles in the loss. José Veras earned the win for Florida. The Marlins would win another one-run game the next day to take the series. Throughout the 2010 season, Florida had nine walk-off wins during an 80-82 campaign. The first one of those came on this day 15 years ago. View full article

On this date in the year 2000, Floyd went oppo to deliver the Marlins their second win of the season. It is a rarity for seasons to begin with four-game series. That was the case for the Miami Marlins this season and for the Florida Marlins in 2000. On this day 25 years ago, outfielder Cliff Floyd ended the season-opening series in memorable fashion. In the fourth and final game of the first series of the season against the San Francisco Giants, the Marlins trailed by three entering the bottom of the eighth. In the ninth, Floyd would send the fans home happy with a two-run walk-off home run in a 5-4 win for Florida. After winning the season opener, the Marlins had dropped the next two games to San Francisco as the teams took the field for a day game at Pro Player Stadium on April 6, 2000. Through seven innings, all Florida had managed offensively was a solo home run off the bat of Mark Kotsay. Kotsay’s homer would be the only run that San Francisco starting pitcher Joe Nathan would give up and one of just three hits. Nathan had been the beneficiary of home runs from Russ Davis and Barry Bonds and left after seven innings with a 4-1 lead. The Giants’ bullpen, however, would not share Nathan’s success. The Marlins were able to get to reliever Ben Weber with a nice two-out rally. Florida second baseman Luis Castillo began the bottom of the eighth with a single, but with two outs, he still stood at first. Castillo would steal second and come around to score one pitch later on a line drive single to right field from Preston Wilson. After Mike Lowell drew a walk, San Francisco lifted Weber for Alan Embree. Embree lasted just a batter as he yielded an RBI single to pinch-hitter Mark Smith to cut the lead to one. San Francisco closer John Johnstone entered the game and walked Derrek Lee to load the bases. Johnstone, however, was able to buckle down and get catcher Sandy Martinez to fly out to strand three runners. The ninth inning would be a different story. After Armando Almanza and Dan Miceli combined to keep the Giants off the board in the top of the ninth, Kevin Millar got things started off Johnstone with a single to center field. Castillo pushed pinch-runner Chris Clapinski to second with a sacrifice bunt, but Álex González popped up. With two outs, Florida trailing 4-3 and a runner on second, the game rested on the bat of Cliff Floyd. Floyd needed just one pitch to deliver for the Marlins. On a fastball from Johnstone, Floyd went the other way over the “teal tower” in left field for a two-run walk-off home run and a 5-4 win for Florida. Floyd had been hitless in four trips to the plate prior to his heroics. Castillo had two hits in the win. Calvin Murray was 3-for-4 with a run scored in the loss for San Francisco. After getting the win the night prior, Johnstone took the loss and suffered his first blown save of the season. Miceli retired Jeff Kent in the ninth for Florida and was the winning pitcher. Floyd would go on to have a then-career year for the Marlins in 2000, finishing with a .300 average, 22 home runs and 91 RBIs. His first time playing hero during that campaign came on this day a quarter-century ago. View full article

20 years ago, Carlos Delgado and the Florida Marlins shelled John Smoltz on Opening Day. Given the lackluster offseason, not all baseball fans in South Florida were anxiously awaiting the start of the season. On Opening Day for the Florida Marlins on this day 20 years ago, fans went home happy as the Fish teed off on a future Hall of Fame pitcher. After recording 144 saves over three seasons as the Atlanta Braves’ closer, John Smoltz was moved back to the rotation for the 2005 season. Smoltz would finish his career as an eight-time All-Star and a Cy Young winner, but to the Marlins on April 5, 2005, he was meat. The 2005 opener tied the shortest start of Smoltz’s career as he recorded just five outs. He would yield seven runs, six earned, on six hits in a 9-0 victory for the Marlins at Dolphins Stadium. Smoltz was an out away from escaping the first inning unscathed after striking out Carlos Delgado, an All-Star first baseman making his Marlins debut. But Mike Lowell saw to it that the Marlins’ first rally of the season was a fruitful one as he chased home Luis Castillo with an RBI single. After catcher Paul Lo Duca singled to load the bases, Juan Encarnación delivered the big blow. On the second pitch he saw from Smoltz, Encarnación blasted the ball over the left-center field wall for a grand slam to give Florida a 5-0 lead. In the second inning, the Marlins made more noise. Following a two-out single by Miguel Cabrera and a passed ball that put a pair of runners in scoring position, the newly-signed Delgado’s first hit as a Marlin ended Smoltz’s afternoon. The two-run single pushed the Florida lead to seven and sent the former Cy Young winner to the showers. While Smoltz struggled, Marlins’ starting pitcher Josh Beckett was stellar. Beckett yielded just two hits and three walks in six shutout innings. Beckett set down six Braves on strikes. The Marlins would add to their lead in the sixth inning when Delgado and Lowell recorded back-to-back RBI singles. Delgado finished 4-for-5 with three RBIs in his Florida debut. Lowell plated two runs while Castillo scored three times in the victory. The Braves would bounce back to win the next two games and take the series. As for Smoltz, he would go on to finish 14-7 with a 3.06 ERA and make the All-Star Game for a seventh time in 2005. His season debut, however, left much to be desired. That came courtesy of the Florida Marlins and it happened on this day two decades ago. View full article

In 1995 in Cincinnati, David Weathers had a no-hitter through five before an injury forced him to leave the game. Miami Marlins fans of all generations will recognize the last name, "Weathers." Lefty Ryan Weathers emerged as a significant piece of their starting rotation in 2024 and expectations are high for him in 2025 once he gets healthy. As many are well aware, his father David Weathers also spent time with the organization. The older Weathers was a member of the inaugural Florida Marlins club in 1993, making his season debut in July that year. Weathers would spend parts of the franchise's first four seasons with the Marlins before being dealt to the eventual World Series champion New York Yankees in 1996 for reliever Mark Hutton. Weathers briefly made a return to the Marlins in 2004, appearing in eight games. Over portions of five total seasons with Florida, Weathers finished with a 17-22 record and 5.16 ERA—nothing to write home about. Weathers spent 19 years in Major League Baseball with nine different teams and appeared in 964 games with most of his work coming as a middle reliever. One, however, can't help but wonder if Weathers' legacy in South Florida would be greater in if it wasn't for an unfortunate incident that took place in Cincinnati in June 1995. As most diehard Marlins fans are well aware, Al Leiter threw the first no-hitter in franchise history against the Colorado Rockies at Joe Robbie Stadium in May 1996. One can only wonder if that distinction would have belonged to Weathers. On June 25, 1995, Weathers had one of the finest outings of his career as the Marlins arrived at Riverfront Stadium to take on the Cincinnati Reds. Through five innings, Weather had a no-hitter going. The 6-foot-3 right-hander had surrendered just a pair of walks. Eric Anthony also reached base for the Reds on an error by Florida shortstop Kurt Abbott. Offensively, the Marlins had chased Cincinnati starter José Rijo after just four innings, thanks in part to Weathers, who singled home Russ Morman in the fourth to give Florida a 4-0 lead. Morman would add a solo home run in the top of the sixth to push the Marlins' lead to 5-0. After Charles Johnson singled, Weathers came to the plate for the third time. With a runner on first and one out, Weathers—as National League pitchers usually did at the time—squared to bunt. But on the first pitch of the at-bat, right-hander Tim Pugh's fastball came too far inside and caught Weathers' right hand. It was ruled a foul ball as it appeared to catch part of the bat. Weathers' hand, however, was covered in blood and his day was over. Terry Mathews, a good hitting pitcher in his own right, came in as the replacement. Mathews had a nice day, but wasn't quite as good as Weathers at the dish or in the mound. Mathews grounded into a double play to end the top of the sixth, but kept the hope for a combined no-hitter alive by working around a one-out walk in the bottom of the inning. On the first pitch of the bottom of the seventh, however, Reggie Sanders put Florida's no-hit bid to rest with a lead-off single. Thomas Howard added a second hit in the eighth before Anthony broke up the shutout with a solo home run in the ninth. Despite being forced to leave the game, Weathers managed to pick up the win for his five shutout innings in the 5-1 Marlins victory. Mathews worked the final four innings to earn the save. The unfortunate injury would send Weathers to the 15-day disabled list (now known as the injured list). He returned to action on July 14 in relief and allowed two runs on two hits in just a third of an inning. Ironically, in his return, Weathers was a member of the losing team that was no-hit by Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Ramón Martínez. Tommy Gregg drew a two-out walk in the eighth to give the Marlins their only baserunner of the night in a 7-0 loss. As for Weathers, we'll never know for sure whether or not he would have been able to keep the Reds out of the hit column for the final four innings in June 1995. Through five innings, he had been economical, expending just 54 pitches. It should be noted, however, that Weathers never threw a complete game over his 69 career starts. With the universal designated hitter in effect, facing hard-throwing counterparts isn't something National League pitchers have to worry about anymore. Coincidentally, Cincinnati is a city that Weathers would call home for six of his 19 big-league seasons and a place where he appeared in more games and picked up more wins than anywhere else. Although the unfortunate turn of events nearly 30 years ago isn't widely remembered by baseball or Marlins fans, it is worth pondering whether Weathers' finest moment in Cincinnati should have come in a Florida uniform. View full article

A look the members of this exclusive Marlins club and the memorable games where they tripled more than once. While last season underwhelmed as a whole for the Miami Marlins, there was some excitement along the way. Over the final half of the season, much of that excitement came from Xavier Edwards. Just the second member of the franchise to hit for the cycle, Edwards set a franchise record last year with three triples in a win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Edwards became the first Marlin to triple three times in one game, but also one of only nine with multiple triples in the same game. Here's a look at each of those: Jesús Tavárez - Aug. 28, 1995 vs. Houston Astros Jesús Tavárez didn't have a long or overly productive career, registering just 423 at-bats in five seasons with the Florida Marlins, Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox. Tavárez tripled just three times in his career, but two came in the same game against the Houston Astros in 1995, Trailing 4-3, Tavárez tripled to lead off the fourth before scoring the tying run. He added a two-out triple in the seventh to cap a 3-for-4 day at the plate in a 6-4 win. Over the franchise's first 17 years, Tavárez had the only multi-triple game. Logan Morrison - Sept. 3, 2010 vs. Atlanta Braves Embed from Getty Images Logan Morrison wasn't particularly known for his speed, but in just 62 games as a rookie in 2010, LoMo finished with a team-leading seven triples. Two of those came in one game against the Atlanta Braves in early September. Called up a little more than a month prior, Morrison put Florida ahead for good on the second pitch he saw as he tripled off Kenshin Kawakami to chase home Cameron Maybin. Morrison also led off the third with a triple off Kawakami. He came around to score each time in the 6-1 win. Bryan Petersen - Aug. 16, 2011 at Colorado Rockies Embed from Getty Images Bryan Petersen played just three big-league seasons and never got 250 at-bats in any season. At Coors Field in mid-August 2011, Petersen made the most of the at-bats he got. During a three-run first inning, Petersen got the rally started with a one-out triple before scoring the game's first run on a Greg Dobbs single. In the fourth, Petersen tripled for the second time off Jhoulys Chacín in the fourth, plating Emilio Bonifácio to give the Marlins a 5-2. He added a ninth-inning single off J.C. Romero in a 6-5 victory. Petersen finished with three triples for the year and six for his career, but two came in the same game. Emilio Bonifácio - May 13, 2012 vs. New York Mets Embed from Getty Images The Mother's Day afternoon contest at Marlins Park ended with Giancarlo Stanton coming through with a walk-off grand slam to give the Miami Marlins an 8-4 win over the New York Mets. The contest also featured the first multi-triple game in the history of Marlins Park. One of the speedier players in franchise history, Emilio Bonifácio singled in his first at-bat before starting the seventh-inning rally with a lead-off triple off Ramón Ramírez. He would score on John Buck's game-tying two-run home run. Trailing 4-2 entering the bottom of the ninth, Bonifácio started the six-run inning with a lead-off triple off Frank Francisco before scoring on Greg Dobbs' pinch-hit single. Bonifácio spent four seasons with the Marlins from 2009 to 2012 and ranks eighth in franchise history with 20 triples. José Reyes - Sept. 7, 2012 at Washington Nationals Embed from Getty Images A four-time All-Star with the New York Mets, José Reyes spent just one season with the Miami Marlins, but finished with 12 triples —one shy of tying Juan Pierre's club record set in 2005. Against the Washington Nationals in early September, Reyes finished 3-for-6 with a pair of triples and three RBIs. The first came in the top of the fourth against Zach Duke as Reyes tripled home Justin Ruggiano to give Miami a 6-2 lead. That lead, however, would not hold up as the Nationals scored the next four runs to force extra innings. With two on and one out in the 10th, Reyes put the Marlins ahead to stay with a two-run triple to break a 6-6 in an eventual 9-7 win. Adeiny Hechavarría - Aug. 24, 2014 at Colorado Rockies Embed from Getty Images With 31 triples over four-plus seasons with the Marlins, Adeiny Hechavarría ranks third in franchise history. In late August 2014, he became the second Marlin with two triples in one game at Coors Field. With Miami trailing 3-0 in the top of the second, Hechavarría got the two-run inning going with a triple off Christian Bergman before scoring on a Jeff Mathis double. Down 3-2, Hechavarría led the fourth off with his second triple off Bergman, but ended up stranded at third. Miami lost the game, 7-4. Don Kelly - July 27, 2016 vs. Philadelphia Phillies Embed from Getty Images In two seasons with the Miami Marlins, Don Kelly played in just 15 games. His final contest with the club was one to remember as Kelly finished 3-for-5 with two triples, two runs scored, and two RBIs in an 11-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Kelly's two triples came on consecutive at-bats. He led off the fourth with a triple off Zach Eflin before scoring on a sacrifice fly from pitcher Adam Conley. In the sixth, Kelly ended Eflin's day with a two-run triple to push the Miami lead to 6-0. Kelly finished his nine-year big-league career with just nine triples. Two came in his last game with the Fish. Lewis Brinson - June 15, 2018 at Baltimore Orioles Embed from Getty Images A former first-round pick and a key piece in the trade that sent Christian Yelich from the Miami Marlins to the Milwaukee Brewers, Lewis Brinson was never able to live up to his potential or hype. In a 2-0 win at Camden Yards in mid-June 2018, however, Brinson recorded two of his seven career triples. Against Kevin Gausman, Brinson tripled in the second and sixth innings. After being stranded in the second, his three-bagger to right chased brought home JT Riddle and capped the scoring. Xavier Edwards - Sept. 27, 2024 at Toronto Blue Jays Embed from Getty Images As the Miami Marlins began their final series of 2024 in Toronto, Xavier Edwards did what no member of the franchise had ever done before and something no Major League Baseball player had done in more than a decade. In a 15-5 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, Edwards finished 4-for-6 with three triples, four RBIs, and two runs scored. The first of the three plated two against José Berríos in the second inning. Edwards led off the fourth with a triple off Easton Lucas before scoring on a Jake Burger single. With the Marlins leading 10-5 in the seventh, Edwards drove in Otto Lopez and Kyle Stowers with his third triple of the contest. 4d7c8f09-358f0a34-e0226c9a-csvm-diamondgcp-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Prior to Edwards, Yasiel Puig was the last big-leaguer to triple three times in a game when he did so for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the San Francisco Giants on July 25, 2014. View full article

Chris Coghlan became the third Marlin to earn the distinction 15 years ago today. Since the Florida/Miami Marlins' inception as a franchise in 1993, only the Los Angeles Dodgers have had more players win National League Rookie of the Year. Since 2003, no team has had more. On this day 15 years ago, outfielder Chris Coghlan earned the distinction. On Nov. 16, 2009, Coghlan became the third member of the Florida Marlins to earn the award, joining pitcher Dontrelle Willis and teammate Hanley Ramírez. Coghlan didn't join the club until the second week of May 2009, but wound up making a huge impact. He hit .321 with nine home runs, 47 RBIs, 31 doubles, a team-leading six triples, and an .850 OPS. Coghlan took home 17 of 32 first-place votes, beating out second-place J.A. Happ, a pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies. Pitcher Tommy Hanson of the Atlanta Braves finished third. With Coghlan's help, the Marlins finished 87-75 in 2009. It would be 11 years later before the Marlins had another winning season and 14 later before they had a winning season with a full schedule. Unfortunately for Coghlan, his rookie year was as good as it would get. Although he enjoyed respectable years for the Chicago Cubs in 2014 and 2015, his OPS, RBI, average and triples numbers never exceeded the totals from his rookie year. Over nine seasons in Major League Baseball, Coghlan hit .258 and posted a .731 OPS. Pitcher José Fernández would become the fourth member of the franchise to win N.L. Rookie of the Year in 2013. Coghlan was that last to do so as a member of the Florida Marlins -- rather than the Miami Marlins. He took home the hardware on this day 15 years ago. View full article

On this date in 1999, Floyd carried the Fish to a rare road victory over a loaded Atlanta team. Being one-hit through nine innings on the road against baseball’s best team is rarely a recipe for success. On this day 25 years ago, however, the Florida Marlins made it work in an extra-innings win over the Atlanta Braves. Cliff Floyd had both hits for the Marlins in the next-to-last game of the season at Turner Field on Oct. 2, 1999. The last one of the two left the yard as Florida handed the Braves their final loss of the regular season with a 1-0 victory. Through nine innings, Floyd’s first-inning single accounted for Florida’s only hit and gave the Marlins their only baserunner. The Braves however, had yet to score as the contest went to extra innings tied, 0-0. After Álex González struck out swinging to lead off the top of the 10th, Floyd came to the plate and saw just one pitch from Atlanta reliever Derrin Ebert. Floyd was able to hammer the pitch from the lefty into the right-field stands for the game’s only run. In the bottom of the 10th, Marlins closer Antonio Alfonseca induced a double play ball before getting Gerald Williams to fly out with the tying run at second base to end the game. Alfonseca picked up his 21st and final save of the year. Braden Looper worked a scoreless ninth to earn the win for Florida. Atlanta would finish 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position, squandering an outstanding start from Bruce Chen. Chen allowed just the Floyd single in six innings while striking out six. Kevin McGlinchy and Sean Bergman combined to work three perfect innings of relief. For the Marlins, starter Ryan Dempster worked eight shutout innings, yielding just five hits and one walk while striking out seven. The victory would serve as the final win of the 1999 season for the Marlins as the Braves took the rubber game the next day with an 18-0 victory to finish the regular season a league-best record of 103-59. Atlanta would go on to be swept by the New York Yankees in the World Series. The Marlins finished with the worst record in the National League at 64-98. Florida pitched just five shutouts during the 1999 season, but two of those came against Atlanta. Thanks to two hits from Floyd and an outstanding collective pitching effort, the final of those two came on this day a quarter-century ago. View full article

On this day 15 years ago, Ricky Nolasco set the Marlins single-game record for strikeouts Ricky Nolasco spent eight seasons with the Florida/Miami Marlins from 2006 to 2013 and still holds a number of club career records, including for wins, losses and strikeouts. For the final aforementioned category, Nolasco also holds the single-game record and it came on this day 15 years ago. The Florida Marlins would play the rubber game of a three-game set against the Atlanta Braves on Sept. 30, 2009 in what would be the 159th game of the year for the Marlins. When all was said and done, Nolasco had struck out a Marlins record 16 batters in a 5-4 victory at Turner Field. Nolasco lasted 7 ⅔ innings in the contest and struck out the side in the third, fourth and fifth innings, making it nine straight Braves set down by way of strikeout. When the night was over, Nolasco had allowed just four hits and two walks to go with two unearned runs. The Marlins got the scoring started with three runs in the third inning, courtesy of RBI singles from Jorge Cantú and Dan Uggla. Florida extended its lead to 5-0 with a two-run homer off the bat of Ross Gload in the fifth inning. The Braves pushed a pair of unearned runs across against Nolasco in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run single by Adam LaRoche. After the Marlins left the bases loaded in the top of the ninth, Atlanta would make things interesting in the bottom of the inning. Against the Florida closer formerly known as Leo Nuñez, the Braves made it a one-run game with RBI singles from Yunel Escobar and Omar Infante. After Nuñez walked the bases loaded, the Marlins turned to Brendan Donnelly to close things out. Facing Martín Prado with the bases juiced, Donnelly needed just one pitch to end the game and it wasn’t one that Prado put in play. Following a ball in the dirt from Donnelly, Marlins catcher Ronny Paulino was able to get to it quickly and pick off Matt Diaz, who had wandered too far off third, to end the contest. Nolasco’s 16 strikeouts beat the previous club record of 14, which had been done twice by A.J. Burnett. It was also the most for a big-league pitcher in over two years and the most by a pitcher against the Braves since the team moved to Atlanta. The nine consecutive strikeouts was one shy of major league record, set by Tom Seaver in 1970. The outstanding performance would cap a 13-9 season for Nolasco in which he finished with 195 strikeouts in 185 innings. Fifteen years later, it remains a club record. View full article

The Florida Marlins won the final game at Olympic Stadium 20 years ago today. Throughout their 32-year history, the Florida/Miami Marlins have had plenty of memorable moments against a number of teams. On this day 20 years ago, the Marlins did something that no team has done since: win a Major League Baseball game in Montreal. After easily taking the first two games, the Marlins went for the three-game sweep of the host Montreal Expos on Sept. 29, 2004 in what would be the final game played at Olympic Stadium. The Marlins closed the building with a 9-1 rout. Fittingly, the starting pitcher that night for the Marlins was Carl Pavano, who was acquired from Montreal in 2002. Pavano would work seven innings, yielding just a run on seven hits. Offensively, the Marlins put up four-spots in both the second and fifth innings. The lone home run of the game was a solo shot off the bat of Miguel Cabrera against Montreal starter Sun-Woo Kim in the third inning. In the second inning, the Marlins scored their first two runs on a pair of ground balls before Juan Pierre’s two-run double made it 4-0. In the fifth inning, Jeff Conine, Luis Castillo and Álex González all recorded RBI hits. The final game in Montreal saw the Marlins pound out 15 hits with three each coming from Mike Lowell and Conine. Thanks to a pair of errors, three of Florida’s nine runs were unearned. The final run in Montreal for the home team came in the fourth inning as Juan Rivera singled home Tony Batista before being thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double. Rivera finished with three of the seven hits for Montreal. The last player to throw a pitch at Olympic Stadium was Florida reliever Rudy Seanez, who got Terrmel Sledge to pop out to end the game. Seanez and David Weathers both worked perfect innings of relief for the Marlins. The Expos would finish 67-95 in their final season before becoming the Washington Nationals. The final game home game took place on this day 15 years ago. View full article

On this day 15 years ago, Brett Carroll's pinch-hit walk-off single capped the comeback and a winning season for the Florida Marlins. Only twice in franchise history have the Florida/Miami Marlins put together back-to-back winning seasons. The first occurrence came in 2003 and 2004. After finishing 84-77 in 2008, the Florida Marlins clinched a second straight winning season on this day 15 years ago. After trailing by three runs late, Brett Carroll's pinch-hit walk-off single capped a two-run ninth as Florida rallied past the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-6. Home runs by Raúl Ibañez and Ryan Howard highlighted consecutive two-run innings for the Phillies as Philadelphia led 6-3 at the seventh-inning stretch on Sept. 23, 2009. The Marlins were able to score runs in each of the final three innings. After Gaby Sánchez homered off Philadelphia starter Cole Hamels in the bottom of the seventh to cut the lead to 6-4, Cody Ross singled home a run off Ryan Madson in the eighth—following a 45-minute rain delay—to trim the deficit to one. Up 6-5, the Phillies turned to closer Brad Lidge in the ninth, but a pair of Florida pinch hitters proved to be pesky. Ross Gload opened the inning with a pinch-hit double. Gload reached third on a flyout to right by Chris Coghlan. Following a strikeout of John Baker on a 3-2 pitch that appeared to be outside and sparked a lengthy conversation from manager Fredi González, Lidge was one strike away from ending the contest, but his 3-2 pitch to Hanley Ramírez missed and kept the Marlins' hopes alive. Two pitches later, Jorge Cantú lined a game-tying single to center field, which allowed Ramírez to head to third. With the score now 6-6, Lidge was able to get ahead of the pinch-hitting Carroll, 0-2. His third pitch, however, was a breaking ball that Carroll was able to stay back on. The reserve outfielder was able to roll it into center field to end the contest. The pinch-hits by Gload and Carroll in the ninth gave Florida 13 knocks for the evening. Cantú finished 4-for-5 with a pair of RBIs. Coghlan and Ross each added two hits, which included a game-tying solo homer from Ross in the fifth. Howard finished with two hits and five RBIs for the Phillies in the loss. The Marlins would finish the year with 87 wins, their most since winning the 2003 World Series and most since. Florida clinched a second straight winning campaign with a dramatic walk-off win on this day 15 years ago. View full article

On this day 10 years ago, the Miami Marlins erased a three-run deficit with a four-run ninth. By the middle parts of September 2014, the Miami Marlins' playoff fate had been pretty much sealed. That didn't deter the team from continuing to fight. On this day 10 years ago, the Marlins used a little late-inning magic to rally past the Philadelphia Phillies. The Fightin' Fish scored four runs in the ninth to stun the Fightin' Phils, 5-4. An Enrique Hernández home run had accounted for all of the Miami offense through eight innings on Sept. 14, 2014. As the Marlins came to bat in the top of the ninth at Citizens Bank Park, they were on the short end of a 4-1 score. Against former All-Star closer Jonathan Papelbon, Miami wasted little time loading the bases. On the first pitch of the inning, catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia doubled to center field. Hernández proceeded to walk before an infield single from Adeiny Hechavarría loaded the bags and brought the go-ahead run to the plate. After an RBI groundout from Jordany Valdespin plated a run and put two runners in scoring position, Christian Yelich came through with the second infield single of the inning to cut the lead to 4-3. Justin Bour followed with a game-tying single to center, which moved Yelich to third. Needing just a flyball to put Miami ahead, Casey McGehee was called out on strikes with runners on the corners. The next pitch from Papelbon, however, went to the backstop, allowing Yelich to score and the Marlins to take their first lead, 5-4. Papelbon got Marcell Ozuna to ground out to end the inning, but walked back toward the dugout to a chorus of boos. A lewd gesture to the Philadelphia faithful ultimately led to his ejection. Down 5-4, the Phillies made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth. Freddy Galvis walked before Cody Asche singled to put two runners on with no outs. Miami closer Steve Cishek settled in to strike out the side, including Chase Utley looking to end the game. With the thrilling comeback, the Marlins avoided the three-game sweep in Philadelphia. In what we be a competitive season series, the Phillies ended up going 10-9 against Miami in 2014. The final Marlins win in the City of Brotherly Love came on this day a decade ago. View full article

As the home team in Chicago, the Florida Marlins' bats came to life in the eighth inning 20 years ago. Although the ballparks have had several different names, the Florida/Miami Marlins have only had two stadiums that they've called home—at least on a permanent basis. On this day 20 years ago, the Florida Marlins found themselves batting as the home team at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago against the Montreal Expos. The Marlins trailed for most of the day before coming up with six runs in the eighth inning for a 6-3 victory. It was the threat of Hurricane Ivan that forced Florida to move two home games to Chicago. As they came to bat in the bottom of the eighth on Sept. 13, 2004 in front of just 4,000 fans, the Marlins were on the short end of a 2-0 score. As they had so often, Juan Pierre and Luis Castillo got the rally started with back-to-back singles off Joe Horgan. With Gary Majewski on the mound, the Expos followed with back-to-back errors in the field as Florida cut the lead to 2-1. After Mike Lowell popped out for the first out, Jeff Conine followed with a game-tying sacrifice fly. Majewski was on the cusp of minimizing the damage, but the third out of the inning proved to be elusive for the Expos right-hander. Juan Encarnación was plunked with a 2-1 pitch to load the bases. Two pitches later, Álex González flared a two-run single to right field to give the Marlins their first lead of the day, 4-2. Lenny Harris followed with a pinch-hit RBI single, which turned into two runs following an error in center field by Montreal's Endy Chávez, the Expos' third miscue of the inning. Down 6-2, Tony Batista led off the ninth with a solo home run to cap the scoring. Florida's Armando Benítez retired the next three batters to end the contest. Matt Perisho worked a 1-2-3 eighth to earn the win. Pierre (3) and Castillo (2) combined for five of the Marlins' 11 hits. Chávez had two of the five hits and a run scored for Montreal in the loss. The Marlins would beat the Expos again the next day with the help of another six-run inning to complete the mini two-game sweep. Over the years, the Marlins have also played games as the home team in Puerto Rico, Seattle and Milwaukee. They became the first reigning World Series champion to play a home game in Chicago since 1918 as they batted as the home team away from South Florida for the first time on this day two decades ago. View full article