Marlins Shine in Dismantling of Rockies

Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Marlins exploded for 10 runs on opening night as they defeated the Colorado Rockies 10-1 at Marlins Park. You would have never guessed it from the final score but for the first half of the game we had quite a pitching duel on our hands. Both Jose Fernandez and Jorge De La Rosa spun gems through the first four innings, the only run coming on a Marcel Ozuna solo home run in the 3rd inning.

Jose Fernandez was marvelous through his six innings, allowing only 1 run on a monster Carlos Gonzalez home run to right-center field. Fernandez tied a franchise record with 9 strikeouts on opening day, matching Josh Beckett.

The start was reminiscent of last year’s as the Marlins again struggled to back Fernandez with run support, that is until the 5th inning. The Marlins turned into an offensive juggernaut that pushed across 5 runs, aided by a Casey McGehee triple with the bases loaded. At that point the games was out of reach, although just to be sure, the Marlins pushed across another run in the 6th on a Jeff Baker sacrifice fly and 3 more in the 8th inning from 3 consecutive doubles courtesy of Christian Yelich, Giancarlo Stanton, and McGehee.

We would be remiss if we left out Marcell Ozuna. Ozuna had an unbelievable game, as evident by our grades that senior editor Ehsan Kassim handed out. He was a catalyst for the Marlins offense the whole night, and really shook off the poor start to spring training that he had. He was a triple short of the cycle, but reached base 3 out of 4 times and scored 3 runs.

This team is built on the strength of its pitching, but the Marlins have spent the entire spring training raking on offense. Opening night was no exception. Amidst the pageantry and excitement of the first game of the season, the Marlins actually showed up to play! Overall it was a perfect night for the Marlins and their fans. There was a good turnout and the fans were engaged, and ready to see a Marlins victory. Thankfully for them, they were not disappointed. I can’t wait for game number 2!

What were your thoughts on the game? Let us know in the comments below and Go Fish!