MINNEAPOLIS – On June 17, 2024, "Inside Out 2" was the was No. 1 movie in the country. The Boston Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Taylor Swift was visiting the UK on her Eras Tour.
And on the diamond, the Marlins lost to the visiting Cardinals in 12 innings, dropping them to 23-49 and 25 games out of first place. Seems like ages ago, doesn’t it?
But June 17, 2024, is significant for another reason. It was the last time Braxton Garrett threw a pitch in a Major League game.
Before Thursday, that is.
Garrett made his return at Target Field, where he started in place of an injured Robby Snelling in a matinee against the Twins. The results were mixed. Garrett threw 64 pitches to get four outs and struggled with his command, walking five of the 13 batters he faced in a 9-1 Marlins loss.
But Garrett also had some moments to remember, like when he struck out three straight hitters to get out of an early jam. He also got the first-start jitters out of the way as the moment he’d been waiting 23 months to experience finally arrived.
“It's nice to be done with that,” Garrett said. “But I’m not necessarily thinking of it that way. I just want to get to work as soon as possible.”
Garrett’s roller coaster ride on Thursday began in spectacular fashion. Austin Martin walked and stole second, and Brooks Lee hit a ringing double off the left-field wall. Martin didn’t get a great read on it and stopped at third base, meaning a walk to Ryan Jeffers loaded the bases.
Yep, bases loaded and nobody out after three batters. But Garrett had experience to draw on, and the way he dug himself out of that hole served as a reminder of what the 28-year-old lefty once was and what he still could be.
First, Garrett ran the count full on former Marlin Josh Bell before striking him out with a diving four-seamer. Then he fanned Victor Caratini with a nasty sinker. And with his 34th pitch of the first inning, Garrett spun a sinker that locked up Luke Keaschall for a check-swing strike 3.
“I was glad to get out of that for sure,” Garrett said. “I still had confidence going into that second inning that it was going to turn around. It just didn’t.”
The second inning started out in similar fashion with two walks and a single to load the bases. After a visit to the mound by pitching coach Daniel Moskos McCullough, Martin slashed a two-run double to left. The runners held as Lee grounded out, but Jeffers walked to load the bases again.
This time, Bell did not miss his chance to properly welcome his old teammate back to the Major Leagues. He turned on a Garrett slider and ripped it down the third-base line. The ball hit the bag and skipped past Javier Sanoja for a two-run double that spelled the end of Garrett’s day.
“Just a tough outing,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “It's just one start, and we will regroup and turn the page and move forward.”
When asked about pulling Garrett during the second inning, McCullough indicated it wasn’t a tough decision.
“He just wasn't filling up the strike zone. He just had to work really hard in his first couple innings, and I just didn't get a sense of him getting back to finding the zone,” McCullough said. “So, I just moved on.”
Afterwards, Garrett quickly identified the cause of his troubles.
“There’s just something going on in [my] delivery where I just don't have a ton of feel, or at least tonight,” he said. “The command’s just got to get better.”
With no off-days scheduled until May 28, the Marlins will need five starters for at least two more turns through the rotation. McCullough indicated that he expected Garrett to make at least his next start in the Major Leagues. It could come as soon as Tuesday against Atlanta.
“He competed as best he could,” McCullough said. “He didn't have a good feel today. I know he's disappointed, but everyone has [days] like this, so just move on.”