Marlins gave Pudge a lift
World Series win helped burnish his Hall credentials
The insignia on the cap cast in bronze that will hang in baseball’s Hall of Fame Museum will be of the Texas Rangers. As well it should. Yet the golden moment, etched in time, that captured the essence of Puerto Rico-born Iván Rodríguez Torres, better known as Pudge Rodriguez, came during the brief period he wore the logo of the fish.
Same one that distinguishes the only World Series ring he earned in 21 seasons in the major leagues.
The mark of the then-Florida Marlins was on the batting helmet turned backward under the catcher’s mask that Rodriguez wore as he awaited the throw from left fielder Jeff Conine and San Franproof Giants baserunner J.T. Snow on full-tilt course to home plate that October afternoon in 2003.
Helmet, mask and both players ended up scattered on the ground. Because Pudge didn’t budge — he held up the ball in his bare hand as — the Marlins had the final out to eliminate the Giants in the first round of the playoffs.
“One of the best in my career,” Rodriguez said last week as he discisco
cussed his upcoming induction into the Hall of Fame. “I made a lot of great plays, but I think that was the one that came first — obviously was big for us.
“Jeff Conine threw a perfect throw to me — a little bit to the left. He threw it so I could be able to put myself in great position. At the end, I kept the ball in my hand.”
Rodriguez and Tim Raines will become the third and fourth former Marlins players enshrined in the hall when they are inducted along with Jeff Bagwell, former commission Bud Selig and Atlanta Braves executive John Schuerholz on Sunday in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Only Rodriguez can claim a major career achievement in South Florida. Raines and Andre Dawson were part-time players at the end of their careers. Mike Piazza played five games here between trades. In addition, Tony Perez wore the uniform as interim manager for part of a losing season.
Rodriguez played only the 2003 season with the Marlins — he spent 13 with the Rangers – but the brief marriage had a monumental impact on his career and the team.
It is no stretch to say they wouldn’t have won their second championship without him. There is plenty of evidence in that postseason: Rodriguez drove in 10 runs and was MVP of the sevengame win over the Chicago Cubs in the National League Championship Series. Not to be minimized, he was behind the plate guiding the pitchers for all 17 games of the postseason.
“He was a catalyst, no question about that,” said Jack McKeon, the manager. “He had the experience of being an all-star for so many years. He had the respect of all the players and they all looked up to him.”
Rodriguez didn’t directly address a question about how 2003 factored into joining Johnny Bench as the only catchers elected to the Hall of Fame in the first year of eligibility, and the fourth player from Puerto Rico to be elected.
But he said: “It was a big year, obviously. It took me 12 years to win a World Series. I made the playoffs with the Rangers three times, but unfortunately we got eliminated by the Yankees very quickly in the first round.
“Came to Florida. Nobody expected us to win. Nobody expected us to have the season that we did, but we put that goal in our mind in spring training.”
Rodriguez would finish his career as a 14-time All-Star, 13-time Gold Glove, seven-time Silver slugger award winner, as well as the 1999 American League MVP.
But his future was very much in doubt when the Rangers let him become a free agent after 2002 after three injury-plagued seasons in which he’d missed an average of 59 games.
There wasn’t great demand for a catcher entering his 30s who’d had knee surgery and back trouble, including a herniated disk the previous season. Which is why he was willing to take a one-year deal from the Marlins, even with the majority of $10 million paid out over four years.
“I got into a situation where I got very depressed, me and my family, because there was nothing going on, nothing came,” he said after signing a few weeks before spring training was to open in 2003.
It was easily the most important signing of Jeffrey Loria’s tumultuous Marlins ownership.
The memorable storyline of that championship surge is how the season turned around after McKeon took over as manager on May 11 just as rookie left-hander Dontrelle Willis was beginning a magical run.
Another factor in the team’s slow start was that Rodriguez struggled early as well, batting .247 at the end of May. He had missed several games that month due to a family issue and after fouling a pitch off his foot.
There have been reports that McKeon conveyed some sort of tough-love message to his catcher around that time, which the former manager brushes off.
“I don’t even want to get into that,” McKeon said, but then acknowledges, “After we had a little discussion he was one of the best leaders you ever want to have.”
During a 47-game stretch through June and July, Rodriguez hit .371 and drove in 40 runs. During that period the Marlins went from six games under .500 to 10 games above to climb back into the race for the wild card, which they would win.
“He had tremendous leadership skills,” McKeon said. “His leadership was by example. He did the little things. He wasn’t afraid to take charge. He got in some of the players’ faces if they didn’t do it the right way.”
It was Rodriguez who got the Marlins on track for their triumphant run in the playoffs, driving in all four runs in pivotal Game 3 of the division series against the Giants. Then in the Game 4 clincher, he scored the run that would prove decisive by dislodging the ball from Giants catcher Yorvit Torrealba.
But it was the subsequent collision, when he prevented Snow from reaching home, that stands as the defining moment.
“To be honest with you, the collision at the plate didn’t hurt me much,” Rodriguez said. “I think what hurt me the most was all 24 of my teammates was on top of me after that celebrating.”
Raines lauds Hawk
Raines, the former outfielder who gained election in his final year of eligibility, paid homage to Dawson as a mentor during his early years with the Montreal Expos.
“I don’t think I would have been admitted to the Hall of Fame without his support,” Raines said. “I owe him a lot. He was like my big brother. He was like a father figure. He was like a player that you looked up to and you wanted to be like him.”
Dawson and Perez, both of whom played with Raines and are special assistants in the Marlins’ front office, will be in Cooperstown for the induction.
The other factor Raines cited in how he jumped from never coming close to being named on the necessary 75 percent of ballots to being elected easily this year on 86 percent of those case was the increased emphasis in recent years on advanced analytics.
By the measure of the modern metric of Wins Above Replacement, Raines’ career mark of 66.4 is tied for 32nd all-time among outfielders with Manny Ramirez and ahead of Tony Gwynn (65.0) and Dawson (59.5).
“We didn’t have the stats the way they have them today, but I think if we would have I think back then my chances of getting in might have been even earlier,” he said. “I think it played a really big role in my induction.”