Call to the pen
Fansided

Miami Marlins owed ’20 Cinderella tag before meeting Atlanta

By Rick Soisson

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 25: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Garrett Cooper #26 of the Miami Marlins celebrates his first inning three run home run against the New York Yankees with teammates Jesus Aguilar #24 and Brian Anderson #15 at Yankee Stadium on September 25, 2020 in New York City. The Marlins defeated the Yankees 4-3 in ten innings and clinched a playoff spot. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 25: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Garrett Cooper #26 of the Miami Marlins celebrates his first inning three run home run against the New York Yankees with teammates Jesus Aguilar #24 and Brian Anderson #15 at Yankee Stadium on September 25, 2020 in New York City. The Marlins defeated the Yankees 4-3 in ten innings and clinched a playoff spot. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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The Miami Marlins have gone from the reason why the 2020 season should not have taken place to a Cinderella story.

Beginning this weird past season, the Miami Marlins almost instantly became Major League Baseball’s biggest annoyance. Rumors circulated that some of them had behaved irresponsibly, infecting a number of them with COVID-19. This, of course, paused the team’s schedule, as well as others’, just days after the season began.

But a squad comprised of youngsters and a bunch of cast-offs were joined by a brilliant and promising young pitcher acquired in a trade to remain in the thick of the NL playoff race. They competed largely against MLB’s most evenly matched divisional opponents, and came in second.

The Marlins then met the far higher-profile Cubs and had to beat Yu Darvish to eliminate them in Chicago on a day the Cy Young candidate was pitching very well. Garrett Cooper homered for the only run the Miami would actually need.

More Marlins. Bottom feeders advancing on in postseason. light

Cooper is a guy the Marlins got with another guy from the Yankees for a third guy with a 7-plus ERA this year and international bonus-slot cash.

That alone argues that the Fish are this season’s Playoff Cinderella.

Who else would it be? The Padres because they face the Dodgers in the NLDS? Did you notice Manny Machado on San Diego’s bench? Or that Tatis kid? Somebody else can make an argument for the A’s if he or she can get by a couple of power hitters, I guess.

Can the Marlins keep it up, though, and make it to the NL Championship Ball? Formidable Atlanta now stands in their way, with their MVP-level first baseman and brilliant young outfielder.

However, a cigar-puffing Jesus Aguilar in his victory locker room in Chicago suggested we should have confidence in Miami’s chances. The big first baseman had just finished up a serious bounce-back year after leaving Milwaukee and Tampa Bay. He had driven his batting average up 41 points, his slugging percentage up 68, and his OPS figure up 95 in the short season.

Aguilar credited his manager, Don Mattingly, and his coaches. He seemed to like the atmosphere: “I feel good here. I feel like I can do my job here.” The big first baseman might have added: “The Marlins are on a three-game winning streak. The last two teams we played were the Yankees and Cubs.”

Next. Cervelli announces his retirement. dark

The Miami Marlins face Atlanta in a bubble somewhere and on your TV Tuesday, Oct. 6, a little after 2 p.m. EDT.

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