Marlins prevail 3-2 in marathon game

Florida and Boston hooked up in a dramatic 17-inning contest that the Marlins were finally able to win 3-2. The game was knotted at 1's after 9 innings. The Marlins took a 2-1 lead in the 16th but the Red Sox came back to tie the score at 2's in their half of the 16th. The end was anti-climactic as the winning run came via a bases loaded walk to Luis Castillo.

Strat-O-Matic Report

---

BOXSCORE: 2003 Florida Marlins At 2003 Boston Red Sox               6/30/2003
 
  Marlins            AB  R  H RBI AVG     Red Sox            AB  R  H RBI AVG
  L.Castillo 2B       8  0  3  1 .310     J.Damon CF          7  0  0  0 .292  
  D.Lee 1B            8  0  2  0 .285     S.Spiezio 1B        4  0  0  0 .321  
  P.Wilson CF         7  0  1  0 .255     R.Dempster P        0  0  0  0 .000  
  E.Byrnes LF         6  0  2  0 .276   G-J.Cruz Jr PH        1  0  1  1 .224  
  V.Martinez C        8  0  2  0 .277     S.Eyre P            0  0  0  0 .000  
  A.Gonzalez SS       8  1  2  0 .251     J.Smoltz P          0  0  0  0 .500  
  T.Perez 3B          5  0  1  0 .310     N.Garciaparra SS    7  1  2  0 .247  
  J.Rincon P          1  0  0  0 .000     T.Nixon RF          7  0  3  0 .256  
  K.Sasaki P          0  0  0  0 ----     M.Teixeira LF       6  0  1  1 .292  
E-V.Guerrero PH       1  0  0  0 .322     J.Varitek C         7  0  0  0 .224  
  D.Burba P           0  0  0  0 ----     M.Bellhorn 2B,1B    5  0  0  0 .262  
  P.Quantrill P       1  1  1  01.000   H-E.Diaz PH           1  0  0  0 .222  
  R.Baldelli RF       7  0  3  0 .252     D.Bell 3B           6  0  1  0 .164  
  S.Chacon P          3  0  1  1 .333     D.Lowe P            2  0  1  0 .105  
A-A.Dunn PH           1  0  0  0 .182     M.Timlin P          1  0  0  0 .000  
  K.Farnsworth P      0  0  0  0 ----   B-C.Everett PH        1  0  0  0 .225  
  D.Plesac P          0  0  0  0 ----     J.Colome P          0  0  0  0 ----  
  T.Spooneybarger P   0  0  0  0 ----   D-J.Gibbons PH,1B     2  0  1  0 .262  
C-M.Lowell PH,3B      2  1  1  1 .228   F-E.Young PR,2B       0  1  0  0 .194  
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
         Totals      66  3 19  3                 Totals      57  2 10  2
 
A-Pinch Hit For Chacon In 8th Inning
B-Pinch Hit For Timlin In 10th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Spooneybarger In 11th Inning
D-Pinch Hit For Colome In 13th Inning
E-Pinch Hit For Sasaki In 15th Inning
F-Pinch Ran For Gibbons In 16th Inning
G-Pinch Hit For Dempster In 16th Inning
H-Pinch Hit For Bellhorn In 17th Inning
 
Marlins......... 0 0 0  0 0 1  0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  1 1 -  3 19  0
Red Sox......... 0 0 1  0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  1 0 -  2 10  1
 
Marlins (49-34)          IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA
S.Chacon                  7       5   1   1   1   8   0   5.47
K.Farnsworth              1       0   0   0   0   1   0   3.03
D.Plesac                  0       1   0   0   0   0   0   7.84
T.Spooneybar              2       0   0   0   0   0   0   2.45
J.Rincon                  2       1   0   0   2   3   0   3.51
K.Sasaki                  2       1   0   0   1   0   0   5.40
D.Burba                   1       0   0   0   0   2   0   1.57
P.Quantrill W(1-0)B(2nd)  2       2   1   1   0   1   0   1.37
Totals                   17      10   2   2   4  15   0
 
Red Sox (34-40)          IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA
D.Lowe                    6       9   1   1   3   4   0   4.16
M.Timlin                  4       3   0   0   0   4   0   4.37
J.Colome                  3       0   0   0   2   6   0   3.33
R.Dempster                3       4   1   1   1   2   1   5.75
S.Eyre LOSS(2-2)          0 2/3   3   1   1   1   0   0   7.86
J.Smoltz                  0 1/3   0   0   0   1   0   0   0.98
Totals                   17      19   3   3   8  16   1
 
ATTENDANCE- 33,446 DATE- Sunday, June 30th 2003 TIME- Night WEATHER- Average
UMPIRES- Laz Diaz, Mike Reilly, Jeff Kellogg, Eric Cooper
T- 5:11
LEFT ON BASE- Marlins:20  Red Sox: 8
DOUBLE PLAYS- Marlins: 2  Red Sox: 3
ERRORS- M.Bellhorn
DOUBLES- A.Gonzalez(12th), R.Baldelli(14th), S.Chacon, N.Garciaparra(11th),
         M.Teixeira(6th)
TRIPLES- T.Nixon(1st)
HOME RUNS- M.Lowell(15th)
STOLEN BASES- L.Castillo(15th), E.Young(8th)
CAUGHT STEALING- N.Garciaparra
WALKS- L.Castillo, D.Lee, P.Wilson, E.Byrnes-2, R.Baldelli, M.Lowell-2,
       S.Spiezio-2, M.Teixeira, M.Bellhorn
STRIKE OUTS- L.Castillo, D.Lee, P.Wilson-3, E.Byrnes-3, V.Martinez,
             A.Gonzalez-2, T.Perez, J.Rincon, R.Baldelli-2, M.Lowell, J.Damon-2,
             S.Spiezio-2, N.Garciaparra-2, M.Teixeira-2, J.Varitek-2,
             M.Bellhorn-3, D.Lowe, M.Timlin
GIDP- P.Wilson-2, V.Guerrero, J.Varitek, D.Bell
 
One run was the difference at Shea Stadium as the Florida Marlins defeated the
Boston Red Sox in 17 innings 3 to 2.
 
The score was knotted at 1 after nine innings.  Florida came out on top in the
17th inning.  Victor Martinez lined a base-hit.  After an out was recorded,
Paul Quantrill stepped in and he singled.  Rocco Baldelli then banged out a
single to load the bases.  Mike Lowell came up and he was walked
intentionally to load the bases.  Luis Castillo stepped into the box and drew
a walk scoring the run.  Boston could do no damage in the bottom of the 17th.
 
The win went to Quantrill(1-0) who allowed 1 run in 2 innings. Scott Eyre(2-2)
was charged with the loss in relief.  He pitched 2/3 of an inning and
surrendered 3 hits and 1 walk.

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Marlins maintain Division lead

The Florida Marlins remain atop the Brock Division 75 games into the 162-game schedule. San Francisco, Cleveland and Anaheim all remain strong contenders and any falter by Florida could result in a tumble from 1st to 4th very quickly. The Marlins vow not to allow that to happen and are rumored to be looking at the trade market to obtain a solid starting pitcher to assist the staff in the 2nd half of this 2003 season. There is still time befoe the trade deadline and no move is imminent but don't be surprised if Marlin management eventually pulls the trigger on another trade.

---

LEAGUE STANDINGS FOR 2003 Millennium League
 
Brock                       WON LOST  PCT   GB  MAGIC#
2003 Florida FLN             46  29  .613 ----    84  
2003 San Francisco SFN       39  33  .542  5.5        
2003 Cleveland CLA           39  36  .520  7.0        
2003 Anaheim ANA             39  36  .520  7.0        
2003 Seattle SEA             32  46  .410 15.5        
 



 

Marlins go 9 & 6 on 15-game road trip

Florida put together a respectable 9 and 6 record on the recent block 3 road trip thru Kansas City, Minnesota, Anaheim, Cleveland and Seattle. The Marlins now stand at 34 - 20 for the season.

The hitting came around in block 3 as the team batting average improved from a dismal .245 to a much more respectable .267. Run production was also up significantly as Florida scored 98 runs in the 15 games. It is difficult to complain about 6+ runs per game. It is good to see the Marlin bats putting up the kind of numbers they are capable of producing. There were several hitting stars during block 3. Derrek Lee improved his average from .290 to .317 while drawing 10 bb's and smacking 5 homeruns. Lee is now protected in the lineup by newcomer, Vlad Guerrero, who hit a solid .429 with 7 bb's and 4 homeruns. Rookie catcher, Victor Martinez hit a solid .367 and the team's newly promoted DH, Adam Dunn, added 4 dingers this block.

Team pitching under performed a bit this block. Team e.r.a. increased from 3.44 to 3.69. Hopefully the decline is temporary and not the sign of things to come. A bright spot was the pitching of Brian Meadows who moved from the bullpen to pick up 3 spot starts. He was shaky in 1 of the 3 starts but the Marlin bats picked him up and he posted a 3-0 record in block 3.

Block 4 will be a crucial test for the young Marlins as they play 6 games against each of the two teams right behind them in the division: San Francisco and Cleveland, a 3-game series versus the Koufax Division leading Pittsburgh Pirates, and a 3-game set against the team with the league's best record, the Aaron Division's frontrunning Cardinals. That will be a critical 18-game stretch in the Florida season.

Block 2 brings shouts of "Hal for President!!!"

Hal has done it again in block 2. The computer managing phenom led the Marlins to a record of 7-5 in Florida's recent 12-game homestand. That brings his season mark to 18-9! If Florida's human counterpart can start matching that performance in road games, the Marlins might put together their first season above the .500 mark. The elusive Hal appears to be camera shy, so no photo was available.

Florida is off to a nice start at 25-14 and holds a 4-game division lead at the quarter way point of the season. It is still way too early to tell if these Marlins are contenders or pretenders but Fish fans are beginning to like what they are seeing from their ballclub.

Block 3 will see the debut of Florida's 2 most recent acquisitions: Vladimir Guerrero and Shawn Chacon. Ex-Marlin pitcher Brad Penny will be sorely missed in the starting rotation but management hopes that Chacon can make 25 starts, go 6+ innings per start, and turn games over to the bullpen with a chance to win. That's the expectation.

Promising young catcher and 1st round draft choice, Victor Martinez, will see his first action of the season with the big club. He is expected to provide some offensive pop from the catcher position.

Block 3 is one long road swing, with all 15 of the Marlin games being played away from Fenway.

Breaking News! .........Marlins and Phillies swap Stars

Florida and Philadelphia just pulled the trigger on a blockbuster trade. The Marlins sent CF Torii Hunter, LF/DH Cliff Floyd and SP Brad Penny to the Phillies for RF Vladimir (Vlad) Guerrero and SP Shawn Chacon. The players are expected to report to their new teams in time for games starting May 12th. Chacon will move into Penny's spot in the starting pitching rotation and Vlad will become the every day rightfielder. The move also opens the way for Rocco Baldelli to become the Marlin's regular centerfielder. Adam Dunn will also remain with the big club as the team's new DH. Team officials were quoted as saying "We hated to lose quality players like Hunter, Penny and Floyd but felt the acquisition of Guerrero was too good an opportunity to let pass. Hopefully, Vlad's bat will spark the offense and take some pressure off the pitching staff." Vlad was signed thru 2010, making him a Marlin for at least the next 7 years. Chacon was inked to a 1-year deal and will most likely become a free agent after this season. This trade reflects management's commitment to field an immediate playoff contender. The future just got a little brighter for Florida fans.

Early season call up Adam Dunn delivers in 1-0 victory!

Adam Dunn made the most of his call up from the minors with a towering pinch hit solo homerun in the 8th inning of Florida's 1-0 victory over the Pirates. Dunn was called up to spell regular 1B Derrek Lee against righties but isn't expected to see a whole lot of playing time this season. Management hopes to make Dunn the fulltime Marlin DH beginning next season and wanted to get him some at bats this season.

Strat-O-Matic Report

---

BOXSCORE: 2003 Florida Marlins At 2003 Pittsburgh Pirates            5/1/2003

 

  Marlins            AB  R  H RBI AVG     Pirates            AB  R  H RBI AVG

  A.Everett SS        3  0  0  0 .385     R.Winn CF           3  0  0  0 .324  

B-A.Gonzalez PH,SS    1  0  0  0 .194     C.Guillen SS        4  0  1  0 .259  

  L.Castillo 2B       3  0  0  0 .330     J.Vidro 2B          4  0  1  0 .219  

  D.Lee 1B            3  0  1  0 .280     B.Giles LF          3  0  0  0 .342  

  P.Wilson RF         3  0  0  0 .209     R.Sanders RF        2  0  0  0 .188  

  E.Perez C           4  0  1  0 .333     E.Durazo 1B         3  0  0  0 .203  

D-B.Schneider C       0  0  0  0 .289     J.Kendall C         3  0  0  0 .264  

  E.Byrnes LF         4  0  0  0 .063     E.Alfonzo 3B        2  0  0  0 .235  

  D.Berg 3B           4  0  0  0 .000     B.Zito P            2  0  0  0 .067  

E-M.Lowell 3B         0  0  0  0 .203     B.Kim P             0  0  0  0 .000  

  T.Hunter CF         3  0  0  0 .253   C-P.Nevin PH          1  0  0  0 .105  

  J.Fernandez P       2  0  1  0 .333     B.Lidge P           0  0  0  0 ----  

  K.Gryboski P        0  0  0  0 ----                                          

A-A.Dunn PH           1  1  1  1 .500                                          

  K.Farnsworth P      0  0  0  0 ----                                          

  P.Quantrill P       0  0  0  0 ----                                          

                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      

         Totals      31  1  4  1                 Totals      27  0  2  0

 

A-Pinch Hit For Gryboski In 8th Inning

B-Pinch Hit For Everett In 8th Inning

C-Pinch Hit For Kim In 8th Inning

D-Subbed Defensively (C ) For Perez In 9th Inning

E-Subbed Defensively (3B) For Berg In 9th Inning

 

Marlins......... 0 0 0  0 0 0  0 1 0  -  1  4  0

Pirates......... 0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  -  0  2  2

 

Marlins (16-7)           IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA

J.Fernandez               6       2   0   0   1   4   0   2.60

K.Gryboski WIN(1-0)       1       0   0   0   0   0   0   0.00

K.Farnsworth HOLD(2nd)    1       0   0   0   1   3   0   6.00

P.Quantrill SAVE(6th)     1       0   0   0   0   2   0   0.00

Totals                    9       2   0   0   2   9   0

 

Pirates (13-10)          IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA

B.Zito LOSS(2-1)          7       4   1   1   2   5   1   1.99

B.Kim                     1       0   0   0   0   2   0   4.56

B.Lidge                   1       0   0   0   0   2   0   0.00

Totals                    9       4   1   1   2   9   1

 

ATTENDANCE- 30,586 DATE- Wednesday, May 1st 2003 TIME- Night WEATHER- Average

UMPIRES- Brian O'Nora, Dan Iassogna, Mark Hirschbeck, Wally Bell

T- 2:14

LEFT ON BASE- Marlins: 6  Pirates: 3

DOUBLE PLAYS- Marlins: 2  Pirates: 1

ERRORS- J.Vidro, E.Durazo

HOME RUNS- A.Dunn(1st)

STOLEN BASES- L.Castillo(5th), R.Sanders(3rd)

WALKS- L.Castillo, P.Wilson, R.Winn, R.Sanders

HIT BY PITCH- D.Lee, E.Alfonzo

STRIKE OUTS- A.Gonzalez, L.Castillo, D.Lee, P.Wilson, E.Perez, D.Berg-2,

             T.Hunter, J.Fernandez, R.Winn-2, C.Guillen, R.Sanders, E.Durazo,

             J.Kendall, B.Zito-2, P.Nevin

GIDP- D.Berg, C.Guillen, B.Giles

 

Jared Fernandez had a strong outing at Miller Park as the Florida Marlins beat

the Pittsburgh Pirates by the count of 1 to 0.

 

Kevin Gryboski(1-0) was brilliant in relief and registered the victory.  No

one was able to reach base in his 1 inning.  Florida took care of Pittsburgh

with no trouble in the bottom of the 9th.  

 

Paul Quantrill recorded his 6th save.  Barry Zito(2-1) ended up with the loss.

He gave up 1 run and 4 hits in 7 innings.

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Florida gets off to a fast 14-7 start in 2003 season

Thanks to some clutch hitting and excellent relief pitching, the Marlins started out the 2003 season with a 14-7 record in the 1st block of games. The Marlins were an even more impressive 11-4 in games managed by Hal (The CM). Some grumblings have already surfaced questioning which is actually the better manager.........

Team Notes: The relief pitching has been solid and put together a 7-1 record and a 2.76 era. The team batting is below expectations but timely hits have produced more runs than the team's batting statistics would suggest. Catcher Eddie Perez was an unlikely hero in block 1. He hit a 9th inning 2-run game tying homerun, not once but twice, in games that Florida came back to win.

Marlins open season with thrilling 15-inning victory over division rival Giants

Marlin fans got their money's worth in a tightly contested 15-inning game that saw Florida get a pinch hit 2-out Triple from Eric Byrnes that plated 2 runs and knotted the game at 4 in the top of the 9th. The Marlins scored the go ahead run 6 innings later and Paul Quantrill closed it out in the 15th for the save. What a season opener!!

Strat-O-Matic Report

---

BOXSCORE: 2003 Florida Marlins At 2003 San Francisco Giants          4/3/2003
 
  Marlins            AB  R  H RBI AVG     Giants             AB  R  H RBI AVG
  L.Castillo 2B       7  0  2  0 .286     J.Pierre CF         3  1  1  0 .333  
  R.Baldelli LF       7  0  0  0 .000   A-D.Mohr CF           2  0  0  0 .000  
  D.Lee 1B            7  1  2  0 .286     R.Aurilia SS        7  1  2  2 .286  
  P.Wilson RF         6  2  3  1 .500     B.Bonds LF          6  1  1  1 .167  
  M.Lowell 3B         7  2  3  2 .429     J.Kent 2B           7  0  1  0 .143  
  T.Hunter CF         5  0  0  0 .000     J.Gerut RF          6  0  2  0 .333  
  A.Gonzalez SS       3  0  0  0 .000     J.Snow 1B           7  0  1  0 .143  
C-E.Byrnes PH         1  0  1  21.000     E.Munson 3B         4  0  1  0 .250  
E-A.Everett SS        1  0  0  0 .000     F.Rodriguez P       0  0  0  0 ----  
  B.Schneider C       5  0  1  0 .200   G-J.Michaels PH       1  0  1  01.000  
  B.Penny P           2  0  0  0 .000   H-A.Sanchez PR        0  0  0  0 ----  
B-C.Floyd PH          1  0  0  0 .000     T.Worrell P         0  0  0  0 ----  
  K.Gryboski P        0  0  0  0 ----   J-B.Santiago PH       1  0  0  0 .000  
  D.Burba P           0  0  0  0 ----     S.Hasegawa P        0  0  0  0 ----  
F-T.Perez PH          1  0  0  0 .000   K-G.Blum PH           1  0  0  0 .000  
  J.Rincon P          0  0  0  0 ----     Y.Torrealba C       6  0  1  0 .167  
I-E.Perez PH          1  0  0  0 .000     L.Hernandez P       3  1  1  0 .333  
  B.Meadows P         1  0  0  0 .000   D-J.Cabrera 3B        3  0  1  0 .333  
  D.Plesac P          0  0  0  0 ----                                          
  T.Spooneybarger P   0  0  0  0 ----                                          
  P.Quantrill P       0  0  0  0 ----                                          
                     -- -- -- ---                            -- -- -- ---      
         Totals      55  5 12  5                 Totals      57  4 13  3
 
A-Subbed Defensively (CF) For Pierre In 8th Inning
B-Pinch Hit For Penny In 8th Inning
C-Pinch Hit For Gonzalez In 9th Inning
D-Subbed Defensively (3B) For Hernandez In 9th Inning
E-Subbed Defensively (SS) For Byrnes In 9th Inning
F-Pinch Hit For Burba In 10th Inning
G-Pinch Hit For Rodriguez In 11th Inning
H-Pinch Ran For Michaels In 11th Inning
I-Pinch Hit For Rincon In 12th Inning
J-Pinch Hit For Worrell In 13th Inning
K-Pinch Hit For Hasegawa In 15th Inning
 
Marlins......... 0 1 0  1 0 0  0 0 2  0 0 0  0 0 1  -  5 12  1
Giants.......... 1 3 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  0 0 0  -  4 13  0
 
Marlins (1-0)            IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA
B.Penny                   7       8   4   3   2   3   0   3.86
K.Gryboski                1       1   0   0   0   1   0   0.00
D.Burba                   1       0   0   0   0   1   0   0.00
J.Rincon                  2       1   0   0   2   0   0   0.00
B.Meadows                 2       3   0   0   0   2   0   0.00
D.Plesac                  0 2/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   0.00
T.Spooneybar WIN(1-0)     0 1/3   0   0   0   0   0   0   0.00
P.Quantrill SAVE(1st)     1       0   0   0   0   0   0   0.00
Totals                   15      13   4   3   4   7   0
 
Giants (0-1)             IP       H   R  ER  BB  SO  HR    ERA
L.Hernandez               8 2/3   9   4   4   0   6   1   4.15
F.Rodriguez               2 1/3   0   0   0   0   1   0   0.00
T.Worrell                 2       1   0   0   2   2   0   0.00
S.Hasegawa LOSS(0-1)      2       2   1   1   1   0   0   4.50
Totals                   15      12   5   5   3   9   1
 
ATTENDANCE- 38,388 DATE- Wednesday, April 3rd 2003 TIME- Night WEATHER- Average
UMPIRES- Jerry Crawford, Mike Everett, Brian Gorman, Mike Dimuro
T- 4:00
LEFT ON BASE- Marlins: 9  Giants:12
DOUBLE PLAYS- Marlins: 2  Giants: 0
ERRORS- A.Gonzalez
DOUBLES- P.Wilson-2(2nd), M.Lowell(1st), B.Schneider(1st), R.Aurilia(1st),
         B.Bonds(1st), J.Cabrera(1st)
TRIPLES- L.Castillo(1st), E.Byrnes(1st)
HOME RUNS- M.Lowell(1st)
STOLEN BASES- A.Sanchez(1st)
SACRIFICE HITS- A.Everett
WALKS- P.Wilson, T.Hunter, B.Schneider, J.Pierre, D.Mohr, B.Bonds, J.Gerut
STRIKE OUTS- R.Baldelli-2, D.Lee-3, P.Wilson, M.Lowell, T.Hunter, B.Schneider,
             D.Mohr, R.Aurilia, B.Bonds, E.Munson, Y.Torrealba, L.Hernandez,
             J.Cabrera
GIDP- B.Bonds, Y.Torrealba
WILD PITCHES- B.Penny
WEB GEMS- Bot 5th: Torii Hunter robbed J.T. Snow of a Homerun!
 
Mike Lowell hit a homerun and had 2 RBI as the Florida Marlins defeated the
San Francisco Giants in 15 innings by the score of 5 to 4 at Pro Player
Stadium.
 
Both teams were tied at 4 runs apiece after nine innings.  Florida came out on
top in the 15th inning.  After two were out Derrek Lee stroked a one-base
hit.  Preston Wilson stepped into the batter's box and he doubled scoring the
run.  Florida managed 12 in their victory.  
 
The victory was credited to Tim Spooneybarger(1-0) who went 1/3 of an inning,
allowing no runs. Spooneybarger got help from Paul Quantrill who earned his
1st save.  Shigetoshi Hasegawa(0-1) was tagged with the loss in relief.  
 

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Marlins counting on powerful offensive lineup to put up big numbers

Offense has never been the Marlin's problem and this season should be no exception. The Marlins have been among the league leading teams in batting each of the MSL's 1st 3 seasons and hope to improve upon that this season. The lineup is stocked with plenty of offensive punch from top to bottom and Florida hopes to have at least 4 players in the 30+ Homerun range by season's end. The top 7 in the batting order is expected to look something like: Luis Castillo, Rocco Baldelli, Derrek Lee, Cliff Floyd, Mike Lowell, Preston Wilson and Torii Hunter. Fans should be in for alot of excitement and should expect alot of stolen bases and alot of homeruns. Hopefully, management's offseason emphasis on improving the pitching staff, coupled with the high octane offense will lead to the Marlin's 1st ever playoff appearance. Time will tell...

Quantrill named Marlin's closer for 03

Righthanded relief pitcher Paul Quantrill has won the closer role in the preseason competition. Quantrill will be the primary closer to start 03. Florida has a deep bullpen to setup games prior to Quantrill's entrance and will rely on a setup by committee to get to Quantrill in save situations.

Gonzalez and Everett to split time at Shortstop

The Marlins have decided to use both Alex Gonzalez and newly acquired Adam Everett at shortstop this season. Gonzalez will start against right handed pitchers and the slick fielding Everett will start versus lefties.

Florida welcomes Jeremi Gonzalez and Pat Hentgen

Florida wasted no time adding 2 solid arms to the starting pitching staff after A.J. Burnett went down to injury. Jeremi Gonzalez and Pat Hentgen are 2 veteran starters that can go deep into games and provide some much needed innings prior to turning things over to the Marlin's bullpen. Both were inked to 1-year deals.

A.J. Burnett out for entire 2003 Season

Florida got the news that ace starting pitcher A.J. Burnett will miss the entire 2003 season with an undisclosed arm injury requiring surgery. Brad Penny, Jake Peavy and Jon Garland will need to shoulder the majority of the pitching duties. Florida picked up a pair of journeymen starters in the 3rd round of the 03 draft: Jeremi Gonzalez and Pat Hentgen in anticipation of the bad news on Burnett. The Marlins hope that the 5-man rotation will consistently go 6 or 7 innings before turning things over to the bullpen.

Florida lands a pair of Big Fish in 03 Draft

The Marlins added a pair of potential stars in the early part of the 2003 draft. Florida selected switch hitting catcher Victor Martinez with their 1st pick and versatile OF'er Rocco Baldelli in round 2. Martinez is expected to assume fulltime backstop chores next season, while Baldelli should immediately compete for a spot in the crowded Marlin outfield. He will platoon with Torii Hunter, Preston Wilson and Eric Byrnes. Cliff Floyd will assume DH duties and Adam Dunn will spend most of the upcoming season in the minor leagues.

Marlins reel in Torii Hunter before draft

Florida obtained CF Torii Hunter from Houston prior to the 03 draft. Hunter is a solid hitter with good power and one of the best fielding CF'ers in the league. He should anchor the Marlin OF for many years.