Thirty years ago, Gary Sheffield carved his name into Marlins history with one swing.
On Sept. 7, 1996, in a 2-1 loss to the Montreal Expos at Pro Player Stadium, Sheffield delivered the solo shot that made him the first player in franchise history to reach 40 home runs in a season. The blast came in the bottom of the eighth against Ugueth Urbina, a future World Series champion with the Marlins, and it was the only offense Florida could muster that day.
Sheffield came up without having taken a swing yet, after walking in each of his first three plate appearances. He quickly found himself in an 0-2 hole, then turned on the third pitch and sent it to left, clearing the wall, breaking up the shutout and cutting the Expos’ lead to one. Urbina was done after that, with Mel Rojas coming on to get the final four outs despite walking a batter in each inning.
Florida’s pitching kept the game tight, but not tight enough. Marc Valdes took the loss even though he allowed just one earned run over five innings. On the other side, Mark Leiter was sharp for Montreal, working 6.2 shutout innings to pick up the win.
The box score had a few other notable lines: Mark Lansing finished with three hits and an RBI for the Expos, Kurt Abbott collected two of Florida’s five hits, and Joe Osulak recorded three outfield assists for the Marlins.
Sheffield’s 1996 season ended with 42 home runs, setting a club record that stood for 21 years. Even now, he remains one of only two Marlins to reach the 40-homer mark in a season.
In Other News...
Rays Suddenly Have A Catching Decision That Could Matter To Miami
The Rays have created an interesting catching logjam, and it comes at a time when any move in Tampa Bay can ripple beyond its own clubhouse. Prospect Caden Bodine has moved through four minor league levels in one season while showing enough with the bat and behind it to accelerate his rise, and the organization also added Liam Hicks in a trade, giving the group another viable option to sort through.
For the Marlins, the point is less about who wins the Rays internal competition and more about how quickly Tampa Bay may have to clarify its plans. A crowded catching depth chart can force a front office to make a choice sooner than expected, and with offseason decisions looming, this is the kind of development Miami will want to monitor closely. [Read more 🡒]
Marlins Pitching Depth Just Got More Complicated At The Worst Time
Anthony Benders recovery has taken another turn, and for a Marlins club already trying to squeeze every usable arm out of a thin pitching staff, the timing could hardly be worse. Bender stopped throwing after a setback with the right shin stress reaction that had kept him out, leaving Miami to keep waiting on a reliever it had hoped might still help in the stretch run.
At the same time, there is at least some movement elsewhere in the group. Pete Fairbanks is expected to come off the injured list soon after a pair of recent bullpen sessions, and Max Meyer has started throwing again following a neck strain. Even so, Meyer will have very little time to rebuild before the season ends, which leaves Miami sorting through a late-season bullpen picture that keeps getting more complicated. [Read more 🡒]
Marlins Ace Suddenly Looks Vulnerable At The Worst Time
Sandy Prez has given the Marlins a very different look over his last few starts, and not in a way that should make anyone comfortable this late in the season. Even with his fastball still showing strong velocity, the results have turned sharply as hitters have started squaring him up more often, a troubling shift for a staff that has leaned on him to anchor games and steady the rotation.
Against the Mets, Prez was tagged for a career-high 10 hits and seven runs, the kind of outing that leaves a mark because it points to command and pitch-mix issues rather than anything physical. Clayton McCullough and Prez have both acknowledged the slump, and with no health concerns reported, the focus now turns to whether he can clean up his location and get his secondary stuff back where it needs to be before the margins get even tighter. [Read more 🡒]