MIAMI -- Rookie Liam Hicks was 13 years old when veteran Rob Brantly made his Major League debut with the Marlins on Aug. 14, 2012.
In a metaphorical passing of the torch, Hicks pinch-hit for Brantly and notched the go-ahead sacrifice fly in the sixth inning of an eventual 11-4 Marlins victory over the Nationals on Sunday afternoon at loanDepot park. Miami broke it open in the seventh when Matt Mervis went deep for the third straight game, crushing a pinch-hit three-run homer.
¡°Every continued opportunity that Liam gets here, you just start to feel more comfortable now,¡± manager Clayton McCullough said. ¡°You get past the third deck feeling and [it¡¯s like], ¡®OK, now I am a big leaguer, and now it's the preparation it takes each day to get ready, especially that position, what's all on your plate.¡¯
¡°The defensive side of it is No. 1, and then also the expectation to be a contributor offensively. So just with every opportunity he gets into, starting, coming off the bench, the pinch-hitting will bode well for whatever the next experience [brings]. A lot of [it is the] first time [he¡¯s] seeing some of these ballparks and the league and all of that. So I think Liam, to me, seems like he's really settled down some now, and he's doing some really nice things on both sides.¡±
Miami will be seeing more of the 25-year-old since placing Nick Fortes on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain ahead of Friday¡¯s series opener. Hicks has become the next man up and started twice in three games. But the Rule 5 Draft pick gave way to Brantly, whose contract was selected from Triple-A Jacksonville as the corresponding roster move for Fortes, in Sunday¡¯s finale.
After erasing a couple of early deficits, the Marlins started a one-out rally against southpaw MacKenzie Gore with the game tied at 3 in the sixth. Griffin Conine walked, moved to second on a wild pitch and advanced to third on Javier Sanoja¡¯s single.
McCullough saw this as an opportunity for Hicks to pinch-hit for 10-year veteran Brantly, who was making his first start with the Marlins since Sept. 28, 2013 and had gone hitless in two at-bats.
During Spring Training, the Marlins strategically placed Hicks¡¯ locker next to Brantly¡¯s inside the clubhouse. Fortes¡¯ locker was also nearby. Until making his MLB debut on March 28, Hicks had never played above the Double-A level. At a premium position like catcher, it was quite the gamble selection for the organization to make. The Marlins envisioned Brantly, who has been with the club since camp broke, being a mentor to the youngster like Jeff Mathis once was to him.
¡°I tried to absorb as much as possible from him, just watching him,¡± Brantly said. ¡°One: Navigate the pitching staff, but also, his presence in the dugout and in the clubhouse, because the team really feeds off a guy like that that is always locked in in the right ways. I remember sitting there and telling myself, ¡®I want to be that guy for a team, and that I can do that.¡¯ So it's been a process of getting closer and closer to that.¡±
In Sunday¡¯s pinch-hit preparation, Hicks got some swings in the cages off the Trajekt machine with the assumption that he would face one of Washington¡¯s relievers. Instead, he was tasked with facing one of the Majors¡¯ toughest southpaws in Gore. Hitless in nine at-bats vs. lefties to open his big league career, the left-handed-hitting Hicks had his work cut out for him.
With a runner on third and less than two outs, Hicks fell behind 0-2 in the count by chasing a slider and fouling off another. After evening things at 2-2, Hicks fouled off another two sliders before lifting a four-seamer deep enough to center field to give Miami its first lead of the game. When Hicks got back to the dugout, one of the first people to greet him was Brantly.
¡°I didn't have really any expectations coming into it as far as like numbers or anything like that,¡± Hicks said of the start of his MLB career. ¡°The main goal I'm trying to do is just keep improving, keep getting better, keep getting more comfortable. I know the player I can be, so it's just good every day, trying to stack some positives, try and move in the right direction, keep developing and help this team win as well.¡±