Jakob Marsee couldn’t have asked for a better way to start his career with the Miami Marlins.
The 24-year-old outfielder also couldn’t have dreamed of a better way to celebrate with his family than what played out Wednesday.
With dozens of relatives and longtime friends in the stands, Marsee hit two homers and tied the franchise record with seven RBIs in a 13-4 rout of the host Cleveland Guardians.
The teams will wrap up the three-game interleague series on Thursday, when Miami sends Edward Cabrera (6-5, 3.08 ERA) to the mound against fellow right-hander Tanner Bibee (8-9, 4.60) for Cleveland.
“I pictured myself in a lot of these moments and I dreamed a lot about these things,” said Marsee, who also had a career-high four hits. “All those (statistics) are pretty cool. Obviously, it’s an honor and super special to do it. But the win, honestly, means more to me.”
Marsee was acquired by the Marlins on May 4, 2024, when they dealt reigning National League batting champion Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres in exchange for four minor-leaguers. The others have not reached the majors.
More than a year after the deal, the Dearborn, Mich., native made his big-league debut on Aug. 1 against the New York Yankees. He went 1-for-2 with a double and three walks to start a remarkable stretch that has seen him bat .436 with a .542 on-base percentage, an .872 slugging percentage, three homers, 13 RBIs and six stolen bases through 13 games.
In a nice poetic touch, both of Marsee’s homers against the Guardians landed in right field, where his entire cheering section was located. The gang made the 2 1/2-hour drive from Michigan to watch his first series outside of the southeastern United States.
“There’s a lot of people here and their support means everything,” Marsee said. “It’s awesome. Anytime I have them around, it’s a little comforting. It’s been a long journey, so (I pointed to them) because having them here means everything.”
Marsee became the third player since 1920 to have a seven-RBI performance in his first 13 appearances, joining J.R. Towles of the 2007 Houston Astros and Hunter Renfroe of the 2016 Padres.
“He had a good night,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said succinctly.
Cabrera will face Cleveland for the initial time, but he is 6-6 with a 3.56 ERA in 19 career interleague starts. He has been terrific since July 22, posting a 1.40 ERA with three wins and one loss.
The Guardians have not played well while splitting the first two games against Miami, issuing seven walks and making two errors on Tuesday in a 4-3 win before allowing season-high-tying totals of runs (13) and hits (17) on Wednesday. The Marlins collected nine extra-base hits in their blowout victory, which ended with Guardians backup catcher Austin Hedges pitching the ninth inning.
Cleveland is 10-3 since July 29 and remains one game behind the New York Yankees for the final American League wild-card spot, but there is no positive way to spin the latest loss.
“These are one-offs that you just try and forget about when they’re over,” Vogt said. “The Marlins swung the bats excellent tonight, and that’s not who we are.”
Bibee signed a five-year, $48 million contract extension before the season but hasn’t performed like the ace the Guardians expected. His past five starts reflect his erratic production as he is 4-0 but with a 5.53 ERA and has reached the seventh inning only once.
Cleveland needs Bibee to work deeper in his first career appearance against Miami after starters Logan Allen and Gavin Williams combined for just eight innings as the teams split the first two games.
“I should have gone out and pitched better,” said Williams, who was done after three innings on Wednesday. “We’ll get better from here.”
–Field Level Media
