Conine keeps thriving as Marlins claim last set of '24

TORONTO -- Griffin Conine didn't get the chance to take the field at Rogers Centre immediately after the Blue Jays selected him in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft. That experience is usually reserved for the top pick.

Toronto later dealt Conine to Miami -- the organization with whom his father, Jeff, won two World Series -- as the player to be named later in a trade that sent Jonathan Villar to Toronto in September 2020. Still, Conine hoped to play at the Blue Jays’ home ballpark one day.

“Definitely I was always looking forward to [playing in this park]. Not even necessarily because I was drafted by them, but it's just a really awesome place to play and I have a lot of friends, coaches that I worked with a lot that were really good to me [during] my start in pro ball,” said Conine, who was Minor League teammates with Miami second baseman Otto Lopez from 2018-19 in Toronto’s organization. “I think it's cool to see a lot of those guys make it up, too, and I know they worked for it, and it's cool to see the coaches still rooting for me.

“I got a lot of texts for the debut from former coaches, which doesn't happen with everyone. You're facing guys that they used to have, and you want to beat them, but it's cool to see them still kind of pulling for me, so it feels good.”

It was worth the wait.

Conine collected three hits and one RBI and right-hander Xzavion Curry pitched five strong innings in his first start with the Marlins as Miami claimed an 8-1 victory over Toronto on Saturday at Rogers Centre. The Marlins have won four of five on their season-ending road trip.

“Getting comfortable,” acting manager Luis Urueta said of Conine. “Today was tough. They faced a couple lefties -- even [Jesús] Sánchez -- and they did a great job. So I think for them, it's young guys in the big leagues getting comfortable, taking the experience. And they have the talent.”

The 27-year-old Conine was involved in Miami’s rallies in the first, sixth and eighth innings. Jonah Bride, who recorded the first multi-homer game of his career on Friday, produced a two-out RBI single and Conine followed with an RBI double to right in the first.

With two runners on and one out in the sixth, Conine kept the line moving with a single to left to load the bases. Dane Myers just missed a grand slam in the next at-bat, settling for a two-run double off the top of the right-field wall to extend the Marlins' lead.

Conine added a single in the eighth, then he came in to score on Myers' three-run homer, which capped a five-RBI performance for Miami's center fielder in his first start since being reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Earlier this week, Myers admitted this last set was his World Series, as he works to prove himself to the organization after fracturing his left ankle by kicking a clubhouse door on July 13.

“I love his game,” Myers said of Conine, who was his Triple-A Jacksonville teammate to start 2024. “We talk a lot about hitting, and I think we have similar approaches, similar swings. Griffin's a true pro. Obviously, he's got a little help from his dad being such a seasoned vet like he was, but Griff's a good guy. He deserves all the success that he's getting, and it's fun to watch him play baseball.”

Saturday's three-hit outing continued a strong series for Conine. In Friday’s opener, the left-handed hitter tallied two RBIs on a broken-bat single to right in the fourth and went deep to left to open the seventh against southpaw Easton Lucas.

Spraying the ball to all sides of the field is what Conine is most proud of in his maturation as a batter. Three years ago, when Conine finished second in the Minors with 36 homers, he hit just .218 and struck out 185 times.

“I think just getting all types of hits,” Conine said. “When I look back at last year, the year before, I feel like, defensively, it was very easy to set up for me, pitching as well. I had holes, but I feel like now I can get hits everywhere -- whether that be a ground ball through the infield or a ball down the left-field line. As a hitter, that's the best way you can put yourself in a chance to have success, just all types of pitches. You're not always going to be crushing balls 100 [mph] and 105 mph, but if you can get hits on your ‘not-A’ swings, then you're going to have a lot better chance of success.”