The Miami Marlins aren’t lighting up the standings this season, sitting at .500 with a 36-36 record through 72 games.
But they’ve pulled off something no other MLB team can claim in 2024.
Miami has beaten three of baseball’s most electric arms when it mattered most. They’ve got wins over Jacob Misiorowski in one of the Milwaukee Brewers flamethrower’s starts, knocked off Shohei Ohtani when he was on the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and just added Paul Skenes to that list after outplaying the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie on Sunday.
The Miami Marlins are the only team in baseball to hand losses to JACOB MISIORWOSKI and SHOHEI OHTANI and PAUL SKENES.
Now, it’s not like every team has faced all three of these guys. But stringing together wins against that level of talent? That’s something.
What makes this stretch interesting is what it says about Miami’s ceiling. They’re already 10.5 games back in the NL East, which tells you everything about how loaded that division is this year.
The way I see it, the Marlins have shown they can rise to the occasion against premium pitching. Misiorowski’s been throwing gas for Milwaukee, Ohtani is Ohtani, and Skenes has looked every bit the generational prospect since his call-up.
Beating those three arms suggests Miami’s lineup has more pop than their record indicates. Sometimes you need those signature wins to build confidence, especially for a young roster still figuring out its identity.
Does it mean the Marlins are suddenly contenders? Probably not with that deficit in the standings.
But they’ve proven they can show up against elite competition. That’s the kind of experience that can pay dividends down the road, whether that’s later this season or as these players develop.
For now, Miami has bragging rights on something pretty unique. In a season where they’re fighting to stay relevant, beating baseball’s best young arms isn’t a bad calling card.
