'Fought for each other like a family': Marlins' Triple-A club secures title

Oftentimes, sports fans say, “defense wins championships.” But for the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, it was pitching that delivered the title.

For the first time since rejoining Triple-A in 2021, Jacksonville lifted the International League trophy, securing its first championship as an affiliate at the Minors' highest level since 1968, and its first in franchise history under the Jumbo Shrimp name.

The deciding Game 3 against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre left little doubt out of the gate. Jacksonville struck for five runs in the opening frame, fueled by a two-run double from Matthew Etzel (MIA No. 29), an RBI single by Jared Serna and a two-run knock from Jack Winkler.

An inning later, Etzel added another RBI knock, capping a standout series in which he batted .385 with a 1.154 OPS.

“He’s such a professional hitter,” Jacksonville manager David Carpenter said of Etzel. “His approach, his ability to recognize pitches -- it all showed up in the biggest moments. He was a huge part of us getting here.”

From there, starter Adam Mazur tossed five scoreless innings to keep the RailRiders in check. Scranton mounted a ninth-inning rally, but the Jumbo Shrimp held on for a 7-4 victory at VyStar Ballpark to close out the crown.

Carpenter, in his first season at the helm, called the run “utterly amazing” given the constant roster turnover.

“At this level, you’ve got guys coming up from Double-A, guys going to the big leagues, so many moving parts,” he said. “But this group really fought for each other like a family. That consistent message carried us all year long.”

Much of Jacksonville’s success came on the mound. The club posted the lowest ERA (3.73) and opponents’ batting average (.228) of any Triple-A team, a staff strength Carpenter attributed to buying in.

“The guys really attacked the zone, raced to two strikes and trusted their stuff,” he said. “Our pitching department set the tone and the players never backed down.”

At the center was 21-year-old southpaw Robby Snelling (MIA No. 4/MLB No. 75), who went 6-2 with a 1.27 ERA after a mid-season promotion. He anchored a staff that also eventually featured top prospect Thomas White (MIA No. 1/MLB No. 21), while the bullpen tied for the IL lead with 44 saves.

Joe Mack (MIA No. 3/MLB No. 71) provided steady power with 18 homers in 99 games and Kemp Alderman (MIA No. 10) earned Marlins Minor League Player of the Year honors after posting a 1.012 OPS following his promotion. Jakob Marsee also left his mark before a callup to Miami, where he went on to win NL Rookie of the Month in August.

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Jacksonville opened the season with an exceptional 21-6 stretch, erased an eight-game deficit to clinch the first-half North Division title and carried that consistency through the second half. A 47-28 first-half record and 42-33 second-half finish set the stage for the postseason.

Even some Marlins players were spotted watching the championship game in the locker room postgame Thursday night, eager to follow along with their Triple-A club’s run.

Now, Jacksonville advances to the Triple-A National Championship in Las Vegas, where it will face the Pacific Coast League champion Aviators (Athletics) in a winner-take-all showdown on Sept. 27 at 10:05 p.m. ET.

For Carpenter, the chance to close out his debut season with a national title would be fitting.

“Since February, these guys have busted their butts every day,” he said. “They deserve this. Hopefully, we can go play the game the right way and bring home one more win.”