This afternoon the Marlins bested the New York Yankees 7-3 to complete a three-game sweep.
With this triumph, the Marlins have reached the .500 mark with a 55-55 record on the season.
One might not consider this to be impressive at first glance. But consider where the Marlins were on June 11th. Following a 5-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Marlins had a record of 25-41. They were in last place in the NL East, 18 games back of the New York Mets, 12½ games back of the 3rd NL Wild Card spot and had lost 8 of their last 10 games.
Since June 11th, the Marlins have gone 31-14. As of now, they are 7 games back in the NL East behind both the Mets and Philadelphia Phillies (who are in a first-place tie atop the division), are 5½ games back of the 3rd NL Wild Card spot and have won 8 of their last 10 games including 5 straight wins.
Of course, there is plenty of baseball left to be played. They will host the Houston Astros starting tomorrow for a 3-game series. But who knows? During the last week of September, the Marlins play both the Phillies and the Mets. If the Marlins play their cards right, there might not only be a NL Wild Card spot in their future but possibly their first ever NL East title.
Even if the Marlins don't make the post-season, first year skipper Clayton McCullough has to be a serious contender for NL Manager of the Year. The Marlins are doing this with a team largely under 30. Sandy Alcantara, who won the 2022 NL Cy Young Award, currently has an ERA of 6.36. Their lone member of the NL All-Star Team is outfielder Kyle Stowers who is their only player with more than 20 HR. And yet the somehow the Marlins have now begun to put MLB on notice.
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