As the Miami Marlins prep for playoffs, the moments that defined their regular season
The Marlins are in the playoffs for the first time in a full season since their World Series victory in 2003. It was a long journey to get there. Key acquisitions, pivotal games and individual accomplishments filled the season.
Before the Marlins begin their best-of-3 wild card series against the Phillies on Tuesday, here are the key moments that defined their 2023 season to this point.
▪ Hiring Skip Schumaker: The Marlins’ first step for putting this season into place started with hiring a manager to replace Don Mattingly.
They did that Oct. 25 when they named Skip Schumaker as Mattingly’s successor. This would be Schumaker’s first job as a manager at any level following an 11-year playing career and seven years in front office and coaching roles.
But his understanding of what it takes to create a winning team won over the Marlins’ decision makers.
Little did they know how quickly it would turn things around.
▪ Trading for Luis Arraez: The Marlins’ biggest player acquisition of the offseason came on Jan. 20, when they dealt right-handed pitcher Pablo Lopez and a pair of prospects to the Minnesota Twins for infielder Luis Arraez. The hope was Arraez would become a needed table-setter at the top of Miami’s lineup.
He did that and so much more. Arraez won his second consecutive batting title, becoming the first player in MLB history to win a batting title in different leagues in back-to-back seasons.
But beyond the hits — all 203 of them — Arraez’s upbeat, jovial presence in the clubhouse kept the team light even during the tough patches. His work ethic pushed the team to compete harder down the stretch.
▪ The first win: Every successful season has to start with a first win, right? For Miami, that was a 2-1 win over the Mets on March 31, the second game of the season. Jesus Luzardo threw 5 2/3 shutout innings while Jorge Soler and Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit solo home runs. The team celebrated Schumaker’s first win by loading him into a laundry cart, rolling him into the showers and dousing him with any type of liquid they could find.
▪ The Marlins’ first cycle: Arraez’s first highlight of his Marlins career came when he hit for the first cycle in franchise history on April 11 against the Phillies. Prior to Arraez accomplishing the feat, the Marlins were the only team in MLB to not have a player hit a cycle. Since the franchise’s first game on April 5, 1993, there had been 111 instances of a player hitting for a cycle by other teams. This included three against the Marlins.
▪ Comeback win against Braves in Atlanta: After dealing with a three-hour weather delay and being shut out for eight innings, Miami scored five runs in the ninth to beat the Braves 5-4 on April 27 and avoid a series sweep at Truist Park. The win was one of the early examples of the Marlins’ knack for late-game comebacks. The Marlins had 41 come-from-behind wins in 2023.
▪ 12-0 in one-run games to start the season: Joey Wendle’s go-ahead RBI double in the ninth inning on May 10 led the Marlins to a 5-4, series-clinching win over the Diamondbacks on May 10. The win moved the Marlins to an MLB-record 12-0 in one-run games to begin the season. The success in close games didn’t stop there. Miami finished the season 33-13 in one-run games one year after going 24-40 in those situations.
▪ Eury Perez’s debut: The Marlins knew it was a matter of when, not if, 6-foot-8, 20-year-old right-handed pitcher Eury Perez would join the rotation. He was one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball with a tantalizing arsenal of pitches.
His debut came May 12, with the Marlins needing help in the rotation following injuries to Johnny Cueto and Trevor Rogers. Perez threw 4 2/3 innings that day, giving up just two runs on a pair of solo home runs against the Reds while striking out seven.
Perez went on to pitch to a 3.15 ERA over 19 starts and 91 1/3 innings with 108 strikeouts and a .214 batting average against.
▪ Grand slam robbery in Seattle: With the bases loaded and one out in the ninth inning, Marlins outfielder Jesus Sanchez robbed Eugenio Suarez of what would have been a game-tying grand slam, in a 4-1 win over the Mariners on June 14. The grab helped Miami avoid being swept in Seattle and set the stage for a run in which Miami won 16 of its final 24 games before the All-Star Break.
▪ Walk-off of Rockies to snap eight-game losing streak: The Marlins entered the second half with the second-best record in the National League (53-39) … and then they lost their first eight games coming out of the All-Star Break. They needed a spark to get back on track and got in the form of a 3-2, 10-inning, walk-off win over the Rockies on July 23. Arraez had the winning hit, sending a single into a vacated right field with the bases loaded and the Rockies deploying a five-man infield.
▪ Acquiring Josh Bell and Jake Burger: Even with their slide to start the second half, the Marlins still bought at the trade deadline. Their headline moves came at the buzzer when they acquired third baseman Jake Burger from the White Sox and first baseman Josh Bell from the Guardians.
The duo made an instant and lasting impact. Bell hit .270 with 11 home runs, 26 RBI and 26 runs scored in 53 games played with Miami. Burger hit .303 with nine home runs, 13 doubles, 28 RBI and 27 runs scored in 53 games with the Marlins.
▪ Players-only meeting in Cincinnati: The frustrations of the Marlins’ woeful second half of the season finally boiled over after a 5-2 loss to the Reds on Aug. 7, their fifth consecutive loss and 17th defeat in 22 games since returning from the All-Star Break. Marlins players assembled in the clubhouse to address where things stand. For about 20 minutes, they hashed everything out.
The Marlins responded by winning the series and then followed up by taking a three-game series with the Yankees. Speaking of that Yankees series…
▪ Walk-off win over Yankees: Miami capped its series by rallying for five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning for an 8-7, walk-off win on Aug. 13. Arraez tied the game with a three-run triple before Burger ended it with his walk-off single to center field.
▪ Sweeping Braves in Miami: After going just 1-9 in their first 10 games against Atlanta this season, the Marlins put together a three-game sweep against the Braves from Sept. 15-17. Miami outscored Atlanta 36-13 in the sweep, the Marlins’ first over the Braves since 2015.
▪ Sandy Alcantara and Eury Perez’s seasons ending: Within a span of about three hours on Sept. 23, with just over a week left in the regular season, the Marlins announced that both Sandy Alcantara and Perez were done for the season. Alcantara had been dealing with a UCL sprain in his right elbow since early September, while Perez was diagnosed with inflammation in his left SI joint, which connects the pelvis and lower spine. This leaves the Marlins relying on Luzardo, Braxton Garrett and Edward Cabrera to carry the rotation in the playoffs.
▪ Clinching the playoff berth: The Marlins entered the final weekend knowing where they stood. If they could win two games in their final series at the Pittsburgh Pirates, they would be in the playoffs.
Mission accomplished.
A 4-3 win on Friday and 7-3 win on Saturday gave Miami their postseason berth.
This story was originally published October 2, 2023 at 10:00 AM.
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