Florida Marlins Baseball

On the eve of the Midsummer Classic at PNC Park, Floridamarlinsbaseball takes a look back on the success of Marlins at the games premier exposure of talent. Losing franchises like Pittsburg or Kansas City continue to make the "every team must field at least one" rule mean a player on a better team must sit out so a Royal can be on the squad. The Marlins are not part of this depreciation of the All-Star Game.

Of the 13 up and down seasons for the Marlins, five times they sent a lone member to the festivities. One of them, Edgar Renteria, is starting for the National League tomorrow night. Another, Jeff Conine, won the MVP when he traveled to Arlington by himself. The other two sole Marlins were Alex Gonzalez back in 1999 and Ryan Dempster in 2000.

The most Marlins at an All-Star game were four, and it happened twice. Last season Luis Castillo, Paul Lo Duca, Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera represented the 44-42 Marlins. A year before that Armando Benitez, Cabrera, Mike Lowell, and Carl Pavano went.

Both times the Marlins won the World Series, they sent three players. Jim Leyland only took Renteria to Denver when he managed the 1998 National League squad. Jack McKeon took four to Houston when he coached. Mike Lowell holds the record with three Marlin All-Star game appearances from 2002 to 2004. He was on second base when Benito Santiago's strike out ended the 2002 Classic in a 7-7 tie.

Mr. Marlin is the only member to come away with the MVP award when his 1995 eighth inning pinch hit solo homer off Steve Ontiveros was sent 410 feet to the lower deck in left field of Arlington Stadium.

Marlin hitters have had better luck at the All-Star Game than pitchers. The Marlins have sent a positional player to the All-Star game in every season except for 2000. The Marlin All-Stars have collected eight hits in 13 seasons totaling a .250 average. Perhaps the best offensive game for a Fish was in our first appearance at the 1993 game when Gary Sheffield went 2-3 with one homer and two RBI.

Marlin pitchers didn't allow a run in the game until 2004 when Pavano worked two innings and gave up a two run dinger to David Ortiz in the sixth. A year later, Willis was also at the receiving end of a sixth inning two run homer. Mark Teixeira's dinger would turn out to be the game winner of a 7-5 contest. Perhaps the Houston Astros could thank Willis for giving the White Sox home field advantage in the World Series. In 13 seasons, the Marlins have a 6.00 ERA.

Posted by Brian Saal on Tuesday, July 11, 2006 at 10:57 AM | Permalink