Post by Fish Troll on Apr 2, 2007 23:16:56 GMT -5
Willis gets plenty of support in opener
Ramirez, Cabrera provide the offense in big win over Nats
By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Debuts don't taste any sweeter than what Fredi Gonzalez experienced in his first Major League managerial appearance.
Early Monday morning, Gonzalez had a catch on the field at RFK Stadium with his 13-year-old son, Alex, and at game time, his parents and other family members were in the stands.
The Marlins quickly rallied around their new manager and turned in a complete performance, rolling by the Nationals, 9-2, in the first Opening Day at RFK Stadium since 1971.
Miguel Cabrera and Hanley Ramirez each put on hitting clinics, providing plenty of offense for Dontrelle Willis to improve his already impressive April statistics.
Ramirez and Cabrera combined to go 7-for-10 with one homer, three doubles, five RBIs and five runs scored.
The 13-hit attack featured upper-deck home runs by Cabrera and Dan Uggla.
Afterwards, first baseman Mike Jacobs presented Gonzalez with the game ball, and the Marlins coaches chipped in and quickly downed a vintage bottle of 1996 Dom Perignon champagne.
"It's big for him. He deserves many more," Willis said of his new manager. "I told him, '2,000 more, Skip, let's get it rolling along.' All jokes aside, he worked a lot of hands-on with us. He told us the style of play he wants us working on. He told me, 'You go out there and be you. You go out and work hard.' You've got to respect a manager that lets you be you."
Ramirez matched a career most with four hits, and he scored four runs while adding two stolen bases. Cabrera crushed a monstrous home run and added three hits with four RBIs, helping make Gonzalez's first game an enjoyable one.
Another keepsake Gonzalez received was the lineup card.
After spending the past four seasons as the Braves third-base coach, Gonzalez took over a youthful Marlins' squad. He admitted to being emotional during pregame festivities where they announced his name.
"I wouldn't say nervous," Gonzalez said of his feelings. "I'd say anxious. I didn't know how I was going to react. I thought I held up OK. There were a lot of emotions. I wouldn't call one of them nervous.
"I thought I was going to be a little more emotional. But it's a big-league game and these are big-league players. You can't get too wrapped up in those things; you've got to go out there and manage."
The game ended in two hours, 55 minutes when closer Jorge Julio, in a non-save situation, induced a 4-6-3 double-play from Chris Snelling. Uggla made a nice play reaching the grounder, going to his left, spinning and getting the ball to Ramirez at second, who threw on to first.
"It's awesome," Uggla said of getting win No. 1 for Gonzalez. "I'm so excited for him to get his first win the first game of the season. We want to win every game for him. He's our leader."
Upon securing the final out at first, Jacobs presented Gonzalez with the ball.
"A lot of times you give [the ball] to the pitcher, but for his first big-league win, you've got to be excepting that," Jacobs said. "Hopefully, it will be something that will be up on his wall when he gets home."
Willis threw six solid innings, giving up two runs, (one earned) on seven hits with a walk and three strikeouts. The D-Train, now 59-39 in his career, is 10-1 with a 2.27 ERA for his career in April.
Celebrating the 15th season in franchise history, the Marlins now are 8-7 all-time on Opening Day. The seven-run victory is the second-largest margin in a first-game win for Florida. In 2005, the outcome was a 9-0 victory over the Braves.
Just about everyone got into the act. Center fielder Alejandro De Aza, playing in his first big-league game, had two hits. After his fifth-inning single, he was hugged by Cabrera before the bottom half of the inning.
A Dominican native, De Aza said he is keeping that first ball.
Cabrera's embrace meant a lot to De Aza.
"That means he has my back," said the left-handed-hitting center fielder, who was the team's biggest surprise coming out of Spring Training. "When they introduced us, I was a little bit nervous. After that, I put myself right and went out and played."
Striking quickly, the Marlins touched up John Patterson for six runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. Ramirez and Cabrera set the tempo.
Two pitches into the season, Ramirez got things rolling with an opposite-field double. And on the 16th pitch of the first inning, the Marlins scored their first run, on Jacobs' single to left. The 26-year-old Jacobs worked a seven-pitch at-bat off Patterson, and eventually went the other way with his run-producing hit.
Patterson threw 25 pitches in the first inning, and 45 through two.
The fast start in Game 1 came after the Marlins finished Spring Training by scoring the fewest runs of any team in the big leagues.
"Everybody is talking about us not hitting in Spring Training," Jacobs said. "I'm not saying you can turn it off and on at all in this game, but today is a pretty good example of what this team can do, I think. We manufactured runs today."
Cabrera's two-run, two-out, ground-rule double with the bases loaded in the second made it 3-0. Miguel Olivo and Ramirez each singled and scored.
In the fourth inning, Ramirez had an RBI single and Cabrera uncorked an upper-deck two-run blast to left, marking an early exit for Patterson. Also in the inning, the Nationals lost the services of center fielder Nook Logan, who injured his left foot while crashing into the wall while making a brilliant catch on Uggla's long drive.
Production came from the Marlins' bench, as well. In the seventh inning, veteran Aaron Boone lifted a sacrifice fly, which produced his 500th career RBI.
"It's exciting. It's my 10th Opening Day," Boone said. "I told Fredi coming in, 'I'm 1-8 on Opening Day. I'm thinking I'm due.' It's a lot of fun to have a lot of people have a hand in the victory. It makes it even nicer."
Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Ramirez, Cabrera provide the offense in big win over Nats
By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Debuts don't taste any sweeter than what Fredi Gonzalez experienced in his first Major League managerial appearance.
Early Monday morning, Gonzalez had a catch on the field at RFK Stadium with his 13-year-old son, Alex, and at game time, his parents and other family members were in the stands.
The Marlins quickly rallied around their new manager and turned in a complete performance, rolling by the Nationals, 9-2, in the first Opening Day at RFK Stadium since 1971.
Miguel Cabrera and Hanley Ramirez each put on hitting clinics, providing plenty of offense for Dontrelle Willis to improve his already impressive April statistics.
Ramirez and Cabrera combined to go 7-for-10 with one homer, three doubles, five RBIs and five runs scored.
The 13-hit attack featured upper-deck home runs by Cabrera and Dan Uggla.
Afterwards, first baseman Mike Jacobs presented Gonzalez with the game ball, and the Marlins coaches chipped in and quickly downed a vintage bottle of 1996 Dom Perignon champagne.
"It's big for him. He deserves many more," Willis said of his new manager. "I told him, '2,000 more, Skip, let's get it rolling along.' All jokes aside, he worked a lot of hands-on with us. He told us the style of play he wants us working on. He told me, 'You go out there and be you. You go out and work hard.' You've got to respect a manager that lets you be you."
Ramirez matched a career most with four hits, and he scored four runs while adding two stolen bases. Cabrera crushed a monstrous home run and added three hits with four RBIs, helping make Gonzalez's first game an enjoyable one.
Another keepsake Gonzalez received was the lineup card.
After spending the past four seasons as the Braves third-base coach, Gonzalez took over a youthful Marlins' squad. He admitted to being emotional during pregame festivities where they announced his name.
"I wouldn't say nervous," Gonzalez said of his feelings. "I'd say anxious. I didn't know how I was going to react. I thought I held up OK. There were a lot of emotions. I wouldn't call one of them nervous.
"I thought I was going to be a little more emotional. But it's a big-league game and these are big-league players. You can't get too wrapped up in those things; you've got to go out there and manage."
The game ended in two hours, 55 minutes when closer Jorge Julio, in a non-save situation, induced a 4-6-3 double-play from Chris Snelling. Uggla made a nice play reaching the grounder, going to his left, spinning and getting the ball to Ramirez at second, who threw on to first.
"It's awesome," Uggla said of getting win No. 1 for Gonzalez. "I'm so excited for him to get his first win the first game of the season. We want to win every game for him. He's our leader."
Upon securing the final out at first, Jacobs presented Gonzalez with the ball.
"A lot of times you give [the ball] to the pitcher, but for his first big-league win, you've got to be excepting that," Jacobs said. "Hopefully, it will be something that will be up on his wall when he gets home."
Willis threw six solid innings, giving up two runs, (one earned) on seven hits with a walk and three strikeouts. The D-Train, now 59-39 in his career, is 10-1 with a 2.27 ERA for his career in April.
Celebrating the 15th season in franchise history, the Marlins now are 8-7 all-time on Opening Day. The seven-run victory is the second-largest margin in a first-game win for Florida. In 2005, the outcome was a 9-0 victory over the Braves.
Just about everyone got into the act. Center fielder Alejandro De Aza, playing in his first big-league game, had two hits. After his fifth-inning single, he was hugged by Cabrera before the bottom half of the inning.
A Dominican native, De Aza said he is keeping that first ball.
Cabrera's embrace meant a lot to De Aza.
"That means he has my back," said the left-handed-hitting center fielder, who was the team's biggest surprise coming out of Spring Training. "When they introduced us, I was a little bit nervous. After that, I put myself right and went out and played."
Striking quickly, the Marlins touched up John Patterson for six runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. Ramirez and Cabrera set the tempo.
Two pitches into the season, Ramirez got things rolling with an opposite-field double. And on the 16th pitch of the first inning, the Marlins scored their first run, on Jacobs' single to left. The 26-year-old Jacobs worked a seven-pitch at-bat off Patterson, and eventually went the other way with his run-producing hit.
Patterson threw 25 pitches in the first inning, and 45 through two.
The fast start in Game 1 came after the Marlins finished Spring Training by scoring the fewest runs of any team in the big leagues.
"Everybody is talking about us not hitting in Spring Training," Jacobs said. "I'm not saying you can turn it off and on at all in this game, but today is a pretty good example of what this team can do, I think. We manufactured runs today."
Cabrera's two-run, two-out, ground-rule double with the bases loaded in the second made it 3-0. Miguel Olivo and Ramirez each singled and scored.
In the fourth inning, Ramirez had an RBI single and Cabrera uncorked an upper-deck two-run blast to left, marking an early exit for Patterson. Also in the inning, the Nationals lost the services of center fielder Nook Logan, who injured his left foot while crashing into the wall while making a brilliant catch on Uggla's long drive.
Production came from the Marlins' bench, as well. In the seventh inning, veteran Aaron Boone lifted a sacrifice fly, which produced his 500th career RBI.
"It's exciting. It's my 10th Opening Day," Boone said. "I told Fredi coming in, 'I'm 1-8 on Opening Day. I'm thinking I'm due.' It's a lot of fun to have a lot of people have a hand in the victory. It makes it even nicer."
Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
florida.marlins.mlb.com/news/gameday_recap.jsp?ymd=20070402&content_id=1874831&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=fla
I didn't like Julio performance though. He may had gotten 3 outs without allowing a run but he did walk 1 and the last 2 out were made by a double play from a hard grounder. Not the kind of stuff you would see from a closer.
