Tag: miami-marlins

Xavier Edwards and His Magical Night

It’s amazing to me that some things that should get more attention are overlooked. Take triples. To me, the triple is is the most exciting play in baseball. It is also by far, the rarest. In 2023, Bobby Witt Jr led all of baseball with a whopping 11 three baggers. Witt and Corbin Carroll (10) were the only two players to have double digits in triples last season. By contrast, 243 players connected for ten home runs or more in 2023. One would think that because of the rarity and excitement of the triple, we would see more highlights of this special play. The home run is glamour but the triple is the heart and soul of excitement.

Xavier Edwards made baseball history with three triples in a single game. Photo from AOL.com

Xavier Edwards of the Miami Marlins had three triples Friday night, leading his team to a 15-5 drubbing over the Toronto Blue Jays. Edwards is the first player to have three triples in one game since Yasiel Puig did it on July 25, 2014. Edwards is having a really good season for the Marlins, hitting .327 in 257 at bats and is tied for 16th in all of baseball with 31 stolen bases. The 25-year old shortstop is receiving his first extended Major League playing experience and is a building block for the Marlins who are once again starting over at the bottom of the National League East. 2024 is showing us that Xavier Edwards is here to stay and will be providing more excitement for us. After all, he plays in the same division as the Phillies and Mets so we will be seeing a lot more of him in the coming years.

I don’t know what kind of career Xavier Edwards is going to have. It is starting out well. His historic night should be more celebrated. The highlights on MLB’s Quick Pitch certainly didn’t help. We did not hear the call of his second triple which took place in the 4th inning. You can bet if it was a three home run outing all three would have been viewed, complete with the Marlins’ broadcast calls on each shot. There have been less than 50 players that have had three triples in a single game. There have been literally hundreds of times a player has hit three home runs in a game. Give it up for Xavier Edwards as he entered one of the most exclusive clubs in baseball history.

Hanging Out at the Bank

This past Saturday, June 29th saw our family attend the second of our three game “road trip” this baseball season. In May, we went to Yankee Stadium to watch the New York Yankees hand the Chicago White Sox yet another loss. Saturday had us head south to Philadelphia as the Phillies hosted the Miami Marlins. Once again, the weather cooperated almost fully. A little bit of humidity couldn’t stop us from enjoying ourselves as we had some great seats down the left field line. It’s too bad the home team could not taste victory.

Our seats down the left field line. From my photos.

The Marlins walked away with a 3-2 win on the strength of two Nick Gordon RBI’s. Aaron Nola pitched reasonably well, allowing two runs over 6 2/3 innings but could not get the one big out. With two outs in the top of the 7th and the Phils leading 2-1, Nola gave up the tying hit to Miami backup catcher Nick Fortes, who was hitting .158 at the time. It was the right decision by manager Rob Thomson to leave Nola in the game. Trust the veteran pitcher to get out the #9 hitter and go into the home half of the inning with the lead. It didn’t work out and then the next batter, Jazz Chisholm, Jr. ripped a single to close out the scoring. On the bright side, we saw Garett Stubbs hit his first home run of the season. My daughter says Stubbs is the best backup catcher in baseball and would start for a lot of other teams. Who am I to disagree?

My family has been to three ballparks: Yankee Stadium, Citi Field, and Citizens Bank Park. They all say the same thing: the Bank is the nicest of the three. I’m not sure if I agree 100% with that assessment but there are some things about Citizens that are solid. It is so easy to get in and out of the place compared to the New York parks. There were no escalators and ramps like the other two places. We literally walked into the stadium and entered on the same level as our seats. There is also a little bit more of a retro feel at Citizens. The overall experience at the stadium also seemed to be less of a hassle than at Yankee Stadium and Citi Field. All of them are unique in their own special own.

Up next is Mets-Nationals on July 11 at Citi Field. Maybe next season we can expand our horizons but going to either Baltimore or Boston. It would be great if one day, we can say we have seen all 30 Major League stadiums.

The Phanatic staring down the Marlins. Photo by me.

The Week Ahead in Major League Baseball June 24-June 30

Have you filled out an All Star ballot yet? While at my parents’ house on Sunday, my three kids fill out theirs and I assisted my sister with hers. With the Fall Classic coming up in three weeks, I’ll get mine in by Saturday morning. This is now the last week of June and the National League has 13 of its 15 teams with realistic chances of playing playoff baseball. Let’s see what’s coming up around the league as we close out the third full month of the 2024 season.

Steven Kwan is batting .390 in 200 at bats this year. Photo from the Akron Beacon Journal

Series to watch: Cleveland Guardians at Baltimore Orioles.

I feel like when we talk about the elite teams in Major League Baseball, the Guardians are not on anyone’s list. Yet, they enter this showdown with the same number of wins as the more celebrated Orioles. Since returning from a hamstring injury on May 31, outfielder Steven Kwan’s batting average is over .400. Josh Naylor has supplied 20 home runs and Jose Ramirez is continuing to be his magnificent self, ranking second among all players in RBI’s with 67. The O’s were just swept in Houston after taking two of three games against the Yankees. Outfielder Heston Kjerstad, the organization’s #4 prospect according to MLB.com, will be brought up this week (his third callup) to provide punch to a lineup that scored only two runs in 18 innings on Saturday and Sunday.

Player to Watch: CJ Abrams

The 23-year old shortstop, who came to the Washington Nationals in the Juan Soto trade with the San Diego Padres, is making a case to make his first All Star team. Abrams is hitting .344 over the last two weeks and he leads he Nationals in just about every offensive category. He was the 6th overall pick in the 2019 draft and had a breakout 2023 season with 18 hone runs and 47 stolen bases. Abrams’ career arc mirrors that of former Nat Trea Turner who also was a shortstop drafted by the Padres a decade ago and later was traded to Washington.

Sneaky Red Sox

Very quietly, the Boston Red Sox have had a solid 2024 thus far. Thought to finish last in the American League East, Boston sits at 42-36 and in the final Wild Card spot. They won two of three games against the Yankees last weekend and then went 5-1 last week, sweeping three in Toronto and winning two of three in Cincinnati. The most interesting aspect is that Rafael Devers is having, by his standards, a below average season. Catcher Connor Wong has been a revelation, hitting .330 and left fielder Jarren Duran leads the Majors with 10 triples. On the mound, Tanner Houck is bidding to be the the starting pitcher for the American League as he leads the league in ERA with a 2.14 mark.

Mauled Marlins

The Miami Marlins have had a terrible season. Injuries have played a huge role in the big step back after their playoff appearance in 2023. Miami has literally lost an entire starting rotation to various aliments. Sandy Alacantra had Tommy John surgery right after the Marlins were eliminated from the playoffs. Before the 2024 season began, Eury Perez was told he needed TJ surgery. Edward Cabrera hasn’t pitched since May 7 because a shoulder issue. To top it off, Jesus Luzardo was placed on the IL Saturday with a back problem and Braxton Garrett, who was on the IL until May 12, had to be scratched from his Sunday start with a stiff elbow. In all of my years following baseball, I don’t think I have ever seen an injury situation quite like this.

It’s Never Too Early in Baseball

We are already through one week of games in Major League Baseball. If you are like me in New York, you have already seen the Mets rained out three times. The weather has wrecked havoc on teams all up and down the East Coast. That’s baseball life in March and April where the only predicable thing is that the weather stinks. Now is about the time we will start to hear folks stay things like, “there is still a lot more baseball to go so don’t panic” or, “it’s still way too early in the season for X”

Oh really?

At 0-8 and with no Sandy Alcantara, it is already late for the Marlins. Photo from Yahoo Sports

Tell that to the Miami Marlins who are 0-8 as I write this. No matter how you thought the Marlins would fare in 2024, 0-8 is already too big a hole to crawl out from. To boot, their first four games were at home. It is already late for them. Even if they play .500 ball over the first half of the season, they are still eight games under .500 and most likely out of playoff contention. At this point, with no Sandy Alcantara, do you see Miami being even a .500 club? Conversely, the New York Yankees had perhaps the best start of any team in baseball. They went 6-1 against two of the premier squads out there, with all games away from home. Beginning a season as the Yanks have done can carry a team all the way to a division title. This is not to say New York will win the American League East as the defending champion Baltimore Orioles will have plenty to say about that. However, the odds are long that the Yanks will miss the postseason for the second consecutive year.

I know, there are over 150 games remaining in the Major League Baseball season. There is still much drama left for all teams, even for the Marlins. However, just know that even though we are early in this campaign, it is getting really late for Miami.