Marlins Finish 2013 With No-Hitter And Lots Of Questions For 2014
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The Miami Marlins set a lot of dubious records in franchise history this year with an anemic offense and losses piling up by the dozens. But, on the final day of the regular season, the Marlins closed out the 2013 season with a record and a bang.
Marlins pitcher Henderson Alvarez finished off the 2013 campaign by no-hitting the Detroit Tigers, although Alvarez celebrated a little prematurely. Alvarez thought Miami had won 1-0 when he struck out the final batter in the top of the ninth inning.
But, Miami was actually tied 0-0 with Detroit heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. That's when a wild pitch allowed Giancarlo Stanton to score and give Alvarez his no-hitter and the Marlins one final victory to end the season.
In Major League Baseball history there have been 282 no-hitters. But, Alvarez's no-no was the only one to end on a wild pitch. The no-hitter was also the first to end in walk-off fashion since Virgil Trucks of the Tigers threw one on May 15, 1952 against Washington.
Alvarez, acquired by the Marlins in a blockbuster trade with Toronto last November, was on the disabled list until early July with right shoulder inflammation. His only previous complete game was May 4, 2012, a six-hit shutout for the Blue Jays against the Angels. He hadn't pitched more than 7 1-3 innings this season, and the no-hitter came in his 58th career start.
Still, while Alvarez's record-setting no-hitter gave the Marlins something to celebrate, the 2013 season will be remembered for complete failure.
The Marlins finished last in the National League almost every major statistical category and finished dead last in the National League with a 62-100 record. The final record was the second-worst record in Marlins history.
As such, the Marlins have plenty of work to do in the offseason. The first priority is to find some hitters to help raise the offensive numbers. A few extra pitchers in the bullpen wouldn't hurt, but the pitching rotation overall looks to be almost set.
The big questions for the offseason will be how hard the Marlins pursue a contract extension with Giancarlo Stanton and how much money will the notoriously tight-fisted Jeffrey Loria allow to be spent on the roster.
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