2009 a breakthrough year for Marlins
Groundbreaking" perhaps is the best way to categorize the Marlins' 2009 calendar year.
In review, the season will be remembered for Chris Coghlan breaking through, becoming the third player in club history to be named National League Rookie of the Year.
It's also the year that Josh Johnson, the towering 6-foot-7 right-hander, burst onto the national scene, becoming an All-Star. The hard-throwing right-hander established himself as a force and ace on a young squad.
Then, of course, when you're talking about the Marlins, you have to mention the face of their franchise. Hanley Ramirez again demonstrated why he is on the road to superstardom. The young slugger became the first Florida player to win the batting title, finishing with a club-record .342 batting average.
Of players not named Albert Pujols, Ramirez is regarded as the best in the NL. At least that was the opinion of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, which voted Ramirez second in the Most Valuable Player Award balloting, behind only Pujols.
Spearheaded by these three players, the Marlins won 87 games, the third most in franchise history. They also finished in second place, behind the Phillies, and celebrated their second straight winning campaign.
As impressive as Coghlan, Johnson and Ramirez were, the biggest impact for Florida in 2009 came off the field. It was turned in by people wearing hard hats not baseball helmets.
The day the earth moved on Major League Baseball in South Florida was July 1, when the franchise witnessed the groundbreaking of their new retractable-roof ballpark on the Orange Bowl grounds in the Little Havana section of Miami.
The low-light of the season was that the club fell short of its goal to reach the playoffs. Still there were plenty of highlights to reflect upon, and here is a month-by-month year in review.
January:Power-happy from 2006-08, the Marlins experienced a stretch when they set team home run records in three consecutive years. As entertaining as the long ball was, it also came with a downside. A byproduct to belting so many home runs was high strikeout totals. The team lacked overall speed, and defensively there were lapses.
So the focus in 2009 was to reshape the roster to reflect more speed and defense to go along with a talented young pitching staff.
Working with a league-low $36 million payroll, the front office looked for bargains to help upgrade. The Marlins got the new year going by announcing the signing of veteran reliever Scott Proctor. Armed with a ton of experience, Proctor had a frustrating tenure with the Marlins, as he missed the year because of elbow surgery.
Major League Baseball had its eye on South Florida as a grounds for developing more talent. In the first week of January, the league, joined by the Marlins, announced that Hialeah would be the site of an MLB Urban Youth Baseball Academy.
February: One thing missing when the Marlins opened Spring Training was job certainty. Ramirez at shortstop was a lock, but there were questions regarding first base and third base. John Baker was the projected everyday catcher, but he still had to show the organization he was up for the task.
Early in the spring, newly acquired Emilio Bonifacio was being given every chance to win the third-base battle. The speedster is a natural second baseman, but he was moved to third because Dan Uggla was solidified at second.
Prospect Gaby Sanchez was the front-runner for first base, with Jorge Cantu as a fallback plan. The thought was that Cantu could play third if Sanchez took over at first. But Bonifacio stepped up in the first few weeks of camp, and Sanchez struggled. Cantu ended up at first base.
March: A lot of madness took place in March, when Grapefruit League games were in full swing. Several key Marlins took part in the World Baseball Classic, including Ramirez (Dominican Republic), Cantu (Mexico), Alfredo Amezaga (Mexico), Matt Lindstrom (United States) and Rick VandenHurk (the Netherlands).
Having players out of camp created opportunities for players looking to win roster spots. Bonifacio took advantage, and won the starting third-base job.
From a franchise standpoint, the biggest day of the month was March 23, when Miami-Dade County officials voted in favor of building the new ballpark, which will open in 2012. For more than a decade, three team owners sought the backing for a stadium. The dream became a reality.
The day before the stadium vote, Ricky Nolasco threw seven hitless innings against the Tigers. Combined with Dan Meyer and Leo Nunez, the Marlins tossed a Grapefruit League no-hitter.
During the month, the Marlins pursued free-agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez, who opted for the Astros. On March 27, the team solidified its catcher position by acquiring Ronny Paulino from the Giants, moments after he was dealt from the Phillies to San Francisco. Paulino would become Baker's backup.
April: Piecing together the Opening Day roster was the primary order of business in April, and the front office went to work the very first day of the month. In separate moves on April 1, the Marlins acquired left-handed-hitting Ross Gload from the Royals for a player to be named later. It turned into a significant trade as Gload was a valuable bench player, collecting 21 pinch-hits.
Also on April 1, the Marlins dealt infielder Robert Andino to the Orioles for right-hander Hayden Penn, who opened the season in Florida's bullpen.
Opening Day was April 6, and Bonifacio wasted little time making a big splash against his former team. In a 12-6 rout of the Nationals, Bonifacio went 4-for-5 with four runs scored, three stolen bases, two RBIs and an inside-the-park home run. It was the first inside-the-park drive in an opener since Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski of the Red Sox on April 10, 1968, against the Tigers.
Riding their Game 1 momentum, the Marlins improved their record to 11-1 on April 19, the best start in franchise history. To reach that plateau, the team needed some late-inning heroics. At Washington from April 17-19, the Marlins trailed in all three games heading into their final at-bat, only to rally to victory.
One of the highlight games of the month came on April 12 in a game that matched Johnson vs. Johan Santana of the Mets. Santana fanned 13 in seven innings, but Johnson turned in a complete game, and Florida won, 2-1. Johnson was named co-Player of the Week after that gem.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Marlins were only the fourth NL team since 1983 to win at least nine of their first 10 games.
By the end of April, the Marlins started to cool off. Still, they finished the month at 14-9, and in first place in the East, two games ahead of the Phillies.
May: The momentum built in the first two weeks of the season began to dissipate in May. Much of the decline could be attributed to inconsistent starting pitching. The woes compounded themselves throughout May, first with Andrew Miller going on the disabled list with a right oblique strain. A week later, Anibal Sanchez went down with a right shoulder injury.
Those two injuries helped lead to short outings by the starters, which taxed the bullpen. More problems were on the horizon in mid-May, when it was revealed that Proctor would undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery to repair a right elbow ligament. The bullpen took a couple more hits when Renyel Pinto and Lindstrom went down with injuries.
When injuries weren't getting in the way, lack of performance was. Nolasco, the Opening Day starter, struggled with command, and he was optioned to Triple-A New Orleans to work things out.
As the pitching tried to sort itself out, the offense was sputtering. Ramirez missed some games with a groin injury. But the real problem was a lack of consistency at the top of the order.
After his blistering start, Bonifacio cooled off. Cameron Maybin also had difficulties at the plate. Help, however, was on its way from an unlike source.
Coghlan, who was playing second base and batting third in New Orleans, got called up on May 8 and took over in left field. Initially, he batted second, behind Bonifacio, but it wasn't long before the 24-year-old was leading off and becoming a main contributor in turning the season around.
June:A sinking feeling crept over the Marlins entering June. They opened the month five games under .500, at 23-28, and talk was building that the club could become sellers in the weeks leading up to the All-Star break.
Credit the resolve of the players, and the addition of rookie Sean West to the rotation, coupled with Johnson repeatedly giving the club big starts.
Interleague Play also helped push the Marlins back toward the .500 mark.
The momentum-changing month also featured a monumental achievement.
On June 2, Uggla connected on his 100th career home run. The blast came in his 536th game, making him the fastest second baseman to reach the century mark.
As a team, the Marlins' season swung after a successful Interleague stint beginning June 12. That day they opened a six-game road trip at Toronto and Boston, and won four times, including a sweep over the Blue Jays and a rain-shortened 2-1 victory against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Uggla and Paulino each belted solo home runs off Jon Lester, and Nolasco worked five impressive innings in a game that was halted in the top of the sixth inning.
The Marlins followed their successful trip by taking five of six from the Yankees and Orioles. Johnson won a brilliantly pitched game against A.J. Burnett on June 20. When Chris Volstad won the rubber game of the series the next day, Florida's record was 35-36.
Given new life in a season that could have spiraled downward, the Marlins rode the momentum from the Yankees series into a three-game sweep of the Orioles. By the end of June, Florida was 40-39.
July: Not only were the Marlins making strides in the standings entering July, but they also celebrated a day many in South Florida thought never would come.
The ceremonial groundbreaking, complete with VIP guests and local officials, was July 18. Officially, July 1 marked the day construction began on the team's new ballpark at the site of the Orange Bowl.
Heavy machinery was on location when Ramirez continued to make a name for himself on the field.
On July 1, Ramirez extended his streak of successive games with at least one RBI to 10, a franchise record.
Ramirez also became the first NL shortstop to post 10 straight games with a run batted in.
All that Ramirez accomplished in the first half didn't go unnoticed. For the second straight year, the 25-year-old was voted by the fans as the NL's starting shortstop in the All-Star Game.
Ramirez didn't head to St. Louis, the site of the Midsummer Classic, alone. Johnson was voted in by his peers to his first All-Star contest.
Much of the Marlins' first-half success was attributed to Ramirez and Johnson.
Still, the team had its work cut out for it to catch the Phillies in the division. Coming out of the All-Star break, the Marlins were swept in three games by Philadelphia, falling to 46-47 on July 19.
With the non-waiver trade deadline approaching, the Marlins were in danger of falling out of playoff contention. The front office, however, wasn't hasty, and let the month play out. The players did their part, winning five of six at San Diego and Los Angeles.
Rather than shop any of their regular players on July 31, the Marlins became buyers and acquired veteran first baseman Nick Johnson from the Nationals for pitching prospect Aaron Thompson.
August:Adding the experience and patience of Nick Johnson created an instant boost to the offense. Slotted second in the order, behind Coghlan and in front of Ramirez, the Marlins' bats came to life.
From Aug. 8-16, the team scored six or more runs in eight consecutive games, setting a club record. Coghlan stayed hot all month, and from Aug. 1-9, the rookie posted eight straight multiple-hit games, yet another team record.
If hitting is indeed contagious, then the entire club was inflicted. At one stretch, they racked up so many hits, they flirted with a big league record. From Aug. 4-19, the team collected at least 10 hits in a remarkable 15 straight games. To put this feat into perspective, consider the last squad to reach that many games was the 1937 St. Louis Browns. It also equaled the fourth highest amount since 1900. The all-time record is 18 games, done twice. Cleveland did it in 1925, and the Browns had that many in 1922.
For the month, Coghlan had 47 hits, becoming the first NL rookie with at least 47 hits in a month since Wally Moon had 52 in July 1954 with the Cardinals. Not surprisingly, Coghlan earned NL Rookie of the Month honors.
Still, all the offense couldn't keep the Marlins close to the Phillies. By the end of the month, winning the NL East was a long shot. However, the club remained in Wild Card contention.
September: Any thoughts of a September slide for Coghlan were quickly erased, as the rookie leadoff batter added 47 more hits in the final full month of the season. Coghlan became the third rookie in the last 30 years to pace the Majors in hits in September. The last was his teammate Ramirez, who had 43 in 2006.
Coghlan's impressive hits total in September was the most by an MLB rookie since Chuck Klein collected 50 in 1928.
There were a number of individual accomplishments in the month. On Sept. 22, Uggla belted his 30th homer, becoming the first Marlin to post three straight years with at least 30.
Ramirez reached a milestone on Sept. 6, connecting on his 100th big league homer in his 595th game.
Of all the personal achievements Florida players enjoyed in September, none matched the brilliance Nolasco displayed on Sept. 30 at Atlanta. The 26-year-old right-hander set a franchise record by striking out 16. In the process, he flirted with an MLB mark that has stood since 1970.
From the third through fifth innings, Nolasco struck out the side in order, giving him a string of nine straight. Only Tom Seaver, who set the big league record with 10 in 1970, pieced together more.
Just four players in the history of the game have had as many as nine, with Jake Peavy in 2007 being the most recent. Nolasco's 16 Ks were also the most in the Major Leagues since Santana, then with the Twins, fanned 17 Rangers in 2007.
The strong individual performances, however, weren't enough to prevent the Marlins from being eliminated from the NL East race on Sept. 27. Any hopes of reaching the playoffs via the Wild Card were dashed on Sept. 29.
October: Playing for pride, and a chance at a second-place finish, the Marlins took two of three from the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in their final series. At 87-75, the club enjoyed its third-best season. The only squads to win more games were the 1997 (92) and 2003 (91) teams, which both won the World Series. For just the third time, the Marlins ended up second in the standings.
In Game 161, Cantu lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Ramirez from third. The RBI was No. 100 for Cantu, who joined Ramirez, who posted 106, as the lone Marlins to reach the century plateau in RBIs.
In the game, however, Ramirez (bruised right knee) and Cantu (sprained right ankle), both exited with injuries. Neither played in the season finale.
Although the club lost its season finale, 7-6 in 10 innings, Ramirez claimed the first batting title in franchise history. With a .342 average, the gifted shortstop won the NL Silver Bat Award.
The final game featured some controversy as reports surfaced that owner Jeffrey Loria was considering replacing Gonzalez as manager with Bobby Valentine. Speculation ran rampant for two days before the team announced that Gonzalez would return for 2010.
There were some changes made, though, on the coaching staff as pitching coach Mark Wiley and infield-first base coach Andy Fox were not retained. Bullpen coach Steve Foster and outfield-third base coach Bo Porter also declined offers to come back.
November:Wasting little time to make a move, the Marlins dealt Jeremy Hermida to the Red Sox for pitching prospects Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez the day after the World Series ended.
Word then was released that Maybin underwent surgery to repair a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder. The outfielder is on schedule to be ready for Spring Training.
Four veterans filed for free agency -- Nick Johnson, Kiko Calero, Brendan Donnelly and Gload, who didn't have his $2.6 million club option for 2010 picked up.
The end of the playing season meant the beginning of the awards season, and the Marlins had reason to celebrate. Ramirez claimed his second straight Silver Slugger trophy for NL shortstops.
The Baseball Writers' Association of America named Coghlan NL Rookie of the Year. The 24-year-old is the third Marlin to claim that honor, and first since Ramirez in 2006.
Ramirez was a strong candidate in the NL MVP voting, taking second to Pujols, a unanimous selection. No Marlin has ever finished as high as second.
Later in the month, the Marlins entered negotiations on a multiyear contract for Josh Johnson, but the talks broke down quickly, creating speculation that the right-hander may become trade bait in a year. The team, though, has said their ace will be back in 2010.
December:Looking ahead to 2010, the Marlins entered the Winter Meetings ready to do some wheeling and dealing. Adding pitching depth, either in the rotation or bullpen, is a priority the team will explore until Spring Training. At the meetings in Indianapolis, the club swung a deal, sending Lindstrom to the Astros for two lower-level Minor League prospects and a player to be named. That player became Jorge Jimenez, selected by Houston in the Rule 5 Draft, and then swapped to Florida. The left-handed hitting Jimenez is a third baseman who will compete for a roster spot.
Signing their arbitration-eligible players remains a priority heading into 2010. Before the holiday break, the team reached agreement with Nolasco on a one-year, $3.8 million contract.
In review, the season will be remembered for Chris Coghlan breaking through, becoming the third player in club history to be named National League Rookie of the Year.
It's also the year that Josh Johnson, the towering 6-foot-7 right-hander, burst onto the national scene, becoming an All-Star. The hard-throwing right-hander established himself as a force and ace on a young squad.
Then, of course, when you're talking about the Marlins, you have to mention the face of their franchise. Hanley Ramirez again demonstrated why he is on the road to superstardom. The young slugger became the first Florida player to win the batting title, finishing with a club-record .342 batting average.
Of players not named Albert Pujols, Ramirez is regarded as the best in the NL. At least that was the opinion of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, which voted Ramirez second in the Most Valuable Player Award balloting, behind only Pujols.
Spearheaded by these three players, the Marlins won 87 games, the third most in franchise history. They also finished in second place, behind the Phillies, and celebrated their second straight winning campaign.
As impressive as Coghlan, Johnson and Ramirez were, the biggest impact for Florida in 2009 came off the field. It was turned in by people wearing hard hats not baseball helmets.
The day the earth moved on Major League Baseball in South Florida was July 1, when the franchise witnessed the groundbreaking of their new retractable-roof ballpark on the Orange Bowl grounds in the Little Havana section of Miami.
The low-light of the season was that the club fell short of its goal to reach the playoffs. Still there were plenty of highlights to reflect upon, and here is a month-by-month year in review.
January:Power-happy from 2006-08, the Marlins experienced a stretch when they set team home run records in three consecutive years. As entertaining as the long ball was, it also came with a downside. A byproduct to belting so many home runs was high strikeout totals. The team lacked overall speed, and defensively there were lapses.
So the focus in 2009 was to reshape the roster to reflect more speed and defense to go along with a talented young pitching staff.
Working with a league-low $36 million payroll, the front office looked for bargains to help upgrade. The Marlins got the new year going by announcing the signing of veteran reliever Scott Proctor. Armed with a ton of experience, Proctor had a frustrating tenure with the Marlins, as he missed the year because of elbow surgery.
Major League Baseball had its eye on South Florida as a grounds for developing more talent. In the first week of January, the league, joined by the Marlins, announced that Hialeah would be the site of an MLB Urban Youth Baseball Academy.
February: One thing missing when the Marlins opened Spring Training was job certainty. Ramirez at shortstop was a lock, but there were questions regarding first base and third base. John Baker was the projected everyday catcher, but he still had to show the organization he was up for the task.
Early in the spring, newly acquired Emilio Bonifacio was being given every chance to win the third-base battle. The speedster is a natural second baseman, but he was moved to third because Dan Uggla was solidified at second.
Prospect Gaby Sanchez was the front-runner for first base, with Jorge Cantu as a fallback plan. The thought was that Cantu could play third if Sanchez took over at first. But Bonifacio stepped up in the first few weeks of camp, and Sanchez struggled. Cantu ended up at first base.
March: A lot of madness took place in March, when Grapefruit League games were in full swing. Several key Marlins took part in the World Baseball Classic, including Ramirez (Dominican Republic), Cantu (Mexico), Alfredo Amezaga (Mexico), Matt Lindstrom (United States) and Rick VandenHurk (the Netherlands).
Having players out of camp created opportunities for players looking to win roster spots. Bonifacio took advantage, and won the starting third-base job.
From a franchise standpoint, the biggest day of the month was March 23, when Miami-Dade County officials voted in favor of building the new ballpark, which will open in 2012. For more than a decade, three team owners sought the backing for a stadium. The dream became a reality.
The day before the stadium vote, Ricky Nolasco threw seven hitless innings against the Tigers. Combined with Dan Meyer and Leo Nunez, the Marlins tossed a Grapefruit League no-hitter.
During the month, the Marlins pursued free-agent catcher Ivan Rodriguez, who opted for the Astros. On March 27, the team solidified its catcher position by acquiring Ronny Paulino from the Giants, moments after he was dealt from the Phillies to San Francisco. Paulino would become Baker's backup.
April: Piecing together the Opening Day roster was the primary order of business in April, and the front office went to work the very first day of the month. In separate moves on April 1, the Marlins acquired left-handed-hitting Ross Gload from the Royals for a player to be named later. It turned into a significant trade as Gload was a valuable bench player, collecting 21 pinch-hits.
Also on April 1, the Marlins dealt infielder Robert Andino to the Orioles for right-hander Hayden Penn, who opened the season in Florida's bullpen.
Opening Day was April 6, and Bonifacio wasted little time making a big splash against his former team. In a 12-6 rout of the Nationals, Bonifacio went 4-for-5 with four runs scored, three stolen bases, two RBIs and an inside-the-park home run. It was the first inside-the-park drive in an opener since Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski of the Red Sox on April 10, 1968, against the Tigers.
Riding their Game 1 momentum, the Marlins improved their record to 11-1 on April 19, the best start in franchise history. To reach that plateau, the team needed some late-inning heroics. At Washington from April 17-19, the Marlins trailed in all three games heading into their final at-bat, only to rally to victory.
One of the highlight games of the month came on April 12 in a game that matched Johnson vs. Johan Santana of the Mets. Santana fanned 13 in seven innings, but Johnson turned in a complete game, and Florida won, 2-1. Johnson was named co-Player of the Week after that gem.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Marlins were only the fourth NL team since 1983 to win at least nine of their first 10 games.
By the end of April, the Marlins started to cool off. Still, they finished the month at 14-9, and in first place in the East, two games ahead of the Phillies.
May: The momentum built in the first two weeks of the season began to dissipate in May. Much of the decline could be attributed to inconsistent starting pitching. The woes compounded themselves throughout May, first with Andrew Miller going on the disabled list with a right oblique strain. A week later, Anibal Sanchez went down with a right shoulder injury.
Those two injuries helped lead to short outings by the starters, which taxed the bullpen. More problems were on the horizon in mid-May, when it was revealed that Proctor would undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery to repair a right elbow ligament. The bullpen took a couple more hits when Renyel Pinto and Lindstrom went down with injuries.
When injuries weren't getting in the way, lack of performance was. Nolasco, the Opening Day starter, struggled with command, and he was optioned to Triple-A New Orleans to work things out.
As the pitching tried to sort itself out, the offense was sputtering. Ramirez missed some games with a groin injury. But the real problem was a lack of consistency at the top of the order.
After his blistering start, Bonifacio cooled off. Cameron Maybin also had difficulties at the plate. Help, however, was on its way from an unlike source.
Coghlan, who was playing second base and batting third in New Orleans, got called up on May 8 and took over in left field. Initially, he batted second, behind Bonifacio, but it wasn't long before the 24-year-old was leading off and becoming a main contributor in turning the season around.
June:A sinking feeling crept over the Marlins entering June. They opened the month five games under .500, at 23-28, and talk was building that the club could become sellers in the weeks leading up to the All-Star break.
Credit the resolve of the players, and the addition of rookie Sean West to the rotation, coupled with Johnson repeatedly giving the club big starts.
Interleague Play also helped push the Marlins back toward the .500 mark.
The momentum-changing month also featured a monumental achievement.
On June 2, Uggla connected on his 100th career home run. The blast came in his 536th game, making him the fastest second baseman to reach the century mark.
As a team, the Marlins' season swung after a successful Interleague stint beginning June 12. That day they opened a six-game road trip at Toronto and Boston, and won four times, including a sweep over the Blue Jays and a rain-shortened 2-1 victory against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Uggla and Paulino each belted solo home runs off Jon Lester, and Nolasco worked five impressive innings in a game that was halted in the top of the sixth inning.
The Marlins followed their successful trip by taking five of six from the Yankees and Orioles. Johnson won a brilliantly pitched game against A.J. Burnett on June 20. When Chris Volstad won the rubber game of the series the next day, Florida's record was 35-36.
Given new life in a season that could have spiraled downward, the Marlins rode the momentum from the Yankees series into a three-game sweep of the Orioles. By the end of June, Florida was 40-39.
July: Not only were the Marlins making strides in the standings entering July, but they also celebrated a day many in South Florida thought never would come.
The ceremonial groundbreaking, complete with VIP guests and local officials, was July 18. Officially, July 1 marked the day construction began on the team's new ballpark at the site of the Orange Bowl.
Heavy machinery was on location when Ramirez continued to make a name for himself on the field.
On July 1, Ramirez extended his streak of successive games with at least one RBI to 10, a franchise record.
Ramirez also became the first NL shortstop to post 10 straight games with a run batted in.
All that Ramirez accomplished in the first half didn't go unnoticed. For the second straight year, the 25-year-old was voted by the fans as the NL's starting shortstop in the All-Star Game.
Ramirez didn't head to St. Louis, the site of the Midsummer Classic, alone. Johnson was voted in by his peers to his first All-Star contest.
Much of the Marlins' first-half success was attributed to Ramirez and Johnson.
Still, the team had its work cut out for it to catch the Phillies in the division. Coming out of the All-Star break, the Marlins were swept in three games by Philadelphia, falling to 46-47 on July 19.
With the non-waiver trade deadline approaching, the Marlins were in danger of falling out of playoff contention. The front office, however, wasn't hasty, and let the month play out. The players did their part, winning five of six at San Diego and Los Angeles.
Rather than shop any of their regular players on July 31, the Marlins became buyers and acquired veteran first baseman Nick Johnson from the Nationals for pitching prospect Aaron Thompson.
August:Adding the experience and patience of Nick Johnson created an instant boost to the offense. Slotted second in the order, behind Coghlan and in front of Ramirez, the Marlins' bats came to life.
From Aug. 8-16, the team scored six or more runs in eight consecutive games, setting a club record. Coghlan stayed hot all month, and from Aug. 1-9, the rookie posted eight straight multiple-hit games, yet another team record.
If hitting is indeed contagious, then the entire club was inflicted. At one stretch, they racked up so many hits, they flirted with a big league record. From Aug. 4-19, the team collected at least 10 hits in a remarkable 15 straight games. To put this feat into perspective, consider the last squad to reach that many games was the 1937 St. Louis Browns. It also equaled the fourth highest amount since 1900. The all-time record is 18 games, done twice. Cleveland did it in 1925, and the Browns had that many in 1922.
For the month, Coghlan had 47 hits, becoming the first NL rookie with at least 47 hits in a month since Wally Moon had 52 in July 1954 with the Cardinals. Not surprisingly, Coghlan earned NL Rookie of the Month honors.
Still, all the offense couldn't keep the Marlins close to the Phillies. By the end of the month, winning the NL East was a long shot. However, the club remained in Wild Card contention.
September: Any thoughts of a September slide for Coghlan were quickly erased, as the rookie leadoff batter added 47 more hits in the final full month of the season. Coghlan became the third rookie in the last 30 years to pace the Majors in hits in September. The last was his teammate Ramirez, who had 43 in 2006.
Coghlan's impressive hits total in September was the most by an MLB rookie since Chuck Klein collected 50 in 1928.
There were a number of individual accomplishments in the month. On Sept. 22, Uggla belted his 30th homer, becoming the first Marlin to post three straight years with at least 30.
Ramirez reached a milestone on Sept. 6, connecting on his 100th big league homer in his 595th game.
Of all the personal achievements Florida players enjoyed in September, none matched the brilliance Nolasco displayed on Sept. 30 at Atlanta. The 26-year-old right-hander set a franchise record by striking out 16. In the process, he flirted with an MLB mark that has stood since 1970.
From the third through fifth innings, Nolasco struck out the side in order, giving him a string of nine straight. Only Tom Seaver, who set the big league record with 10 in 1970, pieced together more.
Just four players in the history of the game have had as many as nine, with Jake Peavy in 2007 being the most recent. Nolasco's 16 Ks were also the most in the Major Leagues since Santana, then with the Twins, fanned 17 Rangers in 2007.
The strong individual performances, however, weren't enough to prevent the Marlins from being eliminated from the NL East race on Sept. 27. Any hopes of reaching the playoffs via the Wild Card were dashed on Sept. 29.
October: Playing for pride, and a chance at a second-place finish, the Marlins took two of three from the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in their final series. At 87-75, the club enjoyed its third-best season. The only squads to win more games were the 1997 (92) and 2003 (91) teams, which both won the World Series. For just the third time, the Marlins ended up second in the standings.
In Game 161, Cantu lifted a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Ramirez from third. The RBI was No. 100 for Cantu, who joined Ramirez, who posted 106, as the lone Marlins to reach the century plateau in RBIs.
In the game, however, Ramirez (bruised right knee) and Cantu (sprained right ankle), both exited with injuries. Neither played in the season finale.
Although the club lost its season finale, 7-6 in 10 innings, Ramirez claimed the first batting title in franchise history. With a .342 average, the gifted shortstop won the NL Silver Bat Award.
The final game featured some controversy as reports surfaced that owner Jeffrey Loria was considering replacing Gonzalez as manager with Bobby Valentine. Speculation ran rampant for two days before the team announced that Gonzalez would return for 2010.
There were some changes made, though, on the coaching staff as pitching coach Mark Wiley and infield-first base coach Andy Fox were not retained. Bullpen coach Steve Foster and outfield-third base coach Bo Porter also declined offers to come back.
November:Wasting little time to make a move, the Marlins dealt Jeremy Hermida to the Red Sox for pitching prospects Hunter Jones and Jose Alvarez the day after the World Series ended.
Word then was released that Maybin underwent surgery to repair a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder. The outfielder is on schedule to be ready for Spring Training.
Four veterans filed for free agency -- Nick Johnson, Kiko Calero, Brendan Donnelly and Gload, who didn't have his $2.6 million club option for 2010 picked up.
The end of the playing season meant the beginning of the awards season, and the Marlins had reason to celebrate. Ramirez claimed his second straight Silver Slugger trophy for NL shortstops.
The Baseball Writers' Association of America named Coghlan NL Rookie of the Year. The 24-year-old is the third Marlin to claim that honor, and first since Ramirez in 2006.
Ramirez was a strong candidate in the NL MVP voting, taking second to Pujols, a unanimous selection. No Marlin has ever finished as high as second.
Later in the month, the Marlins entered negotiations on a multiyear contract for Josh Johnson, but the talks broke down quickly, creating speculation that the right-hander may become trade bait in a year. The team, though, has said their ace will be back in 2010.
December:Looking ahead to 2010, the Marlins entered the Winter Meetings ready to do some wheeling and dealing. Adding pitching depth, either in the rotation or bullpen, is a priority the team will explore until Spring Training. At the meetings in Indianapolis, the club swung a deal, sending Lindstrom to the Astros for two lower-level Minor League prospects and a player to be named. That player became Jorge Jimenez, selected by Houston in the Rule 5 Draft, and then swapped to Florida. The left-handed hitting Jimenez is a third baseman who will compete for a roster spot.
Signing their arbitration-eligible players remains a priority heading into 2010. Before the holiday break, the team reached agreement with Nolasco on a one-year, $3.8 million contract.
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