Lucky No. 7: Marlins stay flawless in postseason history, advance to 2020 NLDS
By John Buhler
The Miami Marlins are now 7-0 all time in postseason series as a franchise.
It’s starting to feel like 2003 or 1997 all over again for the Miami Marlins, isn’t it?
Though it had been a long 17 years since they last played postseason baseball, the Fish were able to go on the road and sweep the No. 3-seeded Chicago Cubs in their best-of-three NL Wild Card series. The home run ball was the Marlins’ friend over the last three days, as they advance to the NLDS to play the division rival Atlanta Braves at Minute Maid Park over in Houston, Texas.
Will the Marlins continue their postseason success vs. the Braves in Houston?
The Marlins were projected to be the worst team in the National League this season. After taking two of three in their opening series vs. the Philadelphia Phillies, a coronavirus outbreak occurred internally. Reviled and still seen as bottom-feeders in the Senior Circuit, this team played hard for each other and soon-to-be NL Manager of the Year Don Mattingly. They are now NLDS-bound.
This team is on the rise with emerging starting pitching and power bats. Sandy Alcantara and Sixto Sanchez outdueled Kyle Hendricks and Yu Darvish up in Wrigley this week. Corey Dickerson, Jesus Aguilar and Garrett Cooper all went yard for the Fish to eliminate the NL Central champions from the postseason field. Miami is fearless and will be a formidable matchup for rival Atlanta.
The Braves won the 10-game season series over the Marlins, 6-4. This will be a best-of-five series in neutral-site Houston. Game 1 of their 2020 NLDS series commences on Tuesday, Oct. 6. Though Atlanta will have an extra day off because the Braves advanced over the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday afternoon, Miami will be well-rested too with four days off between games.
While the Braves got the monkey off their backs by winning their first postseason series since 2001, the Marlins improve to 7-0 all time in the illustrious postseason series history. These two division rivals have met one time before in the postseason, with the Fish advancing over the Braves in the 1997 NLCS. The Marlins won the Fall Classic that year over the Cleveland Indians.
Related Story. You do realize the Marlins are going to win the World Series, right?. light
Given their familiarity with each other, don’t expect a three-game sweep in the NLDS by either side. Atlanta has the edge, but Miami can definitely advance to the NLCS. If any team feels pressure to advance in the NLDS down in Houston, it’s now firmly on the Braves. We’ve seen them play tight for years in October, so who knows if this year will be any different for Atlanta?
Miami has nothing to lose this October, which is why the Marlins are so going to win it all again.