And his name is Dan Uggla!

Yesterday Dan Uggla broke Sheff's home run record for most HRs hit in the month of May by a Marlin.


Uggla's bat busy again in a sweep

Dan Uggla delivered the go-ahead homer in Game 1 and the decisive hit in Game 2 as the Marlins swept a doubleheader against the Giants.
Posted on Mon, May. 26, 2008

BY CLARK SPENCER
cspencer@MiamiHerald.com

The Marlins' Dan Uggla is congratulated by teammates after hitting a home run during the first game of a doubleheader against the Giants on Sunday, May 25, 2008 at Dolphin Stadium.

Dan Uggla was nearly speechless.

Not from the curtain call the crowd requested when he belted the go-ahead home run in the first game of Sunday's doubleheader at Dolphin Stadium. And not from the bench-clearing celebration that erupted on the field after he delivered the deciding hit in the second game, a ninth-inning single that gave the Marlins a sweep against the San Francisco Giants.

Uggla, drained from exhaustion after playing more than 18 innings and seven hours of baseball, was almost too tired to get the words out of his mouth. But he found a few to aptly describe the afternoon -- his and the Marlins'.

''It's one of the best feelings in the world,'' Uggla said after the Marlins completed their first doubleheader sweep in five seasons while widening their first-place lead in the National League East before an important 10-game trip.

After the Marlins got past the Giants 8-6 in the first game, they came from behind to defeat them 5-4 in the second. Closer Kevin Gregg got the save in the first game and the win in the second, becoming the first Marlins pitcher to achieve such a feat.

The Marlins are one of the surprise stories not quite two months into the season. They hold a 2 ½-game lead in the NL East and, in Uggla, possess one of the hottest hitters in the majors -- if not the hottest.

A RECORD HOMER

The second baseman's two-run blast in the fifth inning in Sunday's first game traveled an estimated 433 feet and gave him 16 home runs, which ties him for the major-league lead with Houston's Lance Berkman. It was also Uggla's 12th home run in May, which broke the Marlins' franchise record for most homers in any month, surpassing a mark held since 1996 by Gary Sheffield.

That shot, which snapped a 5-5 tie, had the crowd on its feet, chanting Uggla's name until he emerged from the dugout to acknowledge fans with a wave of his hand. It would be one of his only two hits during the long afternoon, but both were huge.

The Marlins were looking at the possibility of a split when the Giants took a 4-2 lead into the seventh in the second game of the twinbill. But Jorge Cantu, who went 4 for 7 on the day with a pair of home runs and four RBI, drove in the tying runs with his single to left.

That set the stage for the ninth. Wes Helms opened the inning with a double off Giants reliever Brian Wilson.

The Marlins nearly squandered the scoring opportunity when Wilson retired the next two hitters. But after intentionally walking Cantu to set up the force, Wilson walked pinch-hitter Alfredo Amezaga to load the bases and bring up Uggla.

Most of Uggla's hits (61 percent) are for extra bases, and he is on pace to become only the second second baseman to post back-to-back seasons with at least 80 extra-base hits (Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby is the other). But it was one of Uggla's singles, a hard shot up the middle, that scored Helms with the winning run and set off a celebration.

''Those moments come few and far between,'' Uggla said of his game-winning heroics. ``I think the team confidence level is up there pretty good right now. We're trying to stay on an even keel.''

`IT'S FUN OUT THERE'

Cantu said the Marlins ``have all the confidence going right now. Everything is clicking. Everybody is hungry to win. It's just fun out there.''

The Marlins' 29-20 start has been exceeded by only one other previous club. The 1997 Marlins, who went on to win the World Series, were 30-19 at the same point.

On Sunday, the Marlins' pitching ranks were so thinned that the club had to call up a minor-leaguer, Eulogio de la Cruz, to start the second game, and the bullpen had to account for 10 of the 18 innings. Mark Hendrickson lasted five innings in the first game and improved his record to 7-2 despite allowing five runs.

Giants manager Bruce Bochy might have done the Marlins a huge favor in the seventh when he removed Bengie Molina for a pinch-runner. Molina had gone 4 for 4 up to that point and is 19 for 31 against the Marlins in the past two seasons.

Bochy's strategy, coming with the Marlins leading 7-6, backfired on two counts: The Giants didn't get the extra run in the seventh, and it was Steve Holm, not Molina, who went to the plate with two outs in the ninth representing the tying run. Holm hit a weak grounder for the final out.

MAJOR MILESTONE

About the only cheer the Giants could muster on the day was seeing Omar Vizquel break the major-league record for most games played by a shortstop: 2,584, one ahead of Luis Aparacio.

Otherwise, Sunday belonged to the Marlins.

''Nobody wanted to go extra innings, especially when you have a doubleheader,'' Uggla said of his game-ending hit in the ninth.

Thanks to Uggla, extra innings weren't necessary.

After the reporters and television cameras dispersed from his locker, Uggla stood alone, wiping the sweat from his face. He and the rest of the team had a flight to New York to catch and a 10-game road trip to think about.

''I think I'll be asleep before the plane takes off,'' Uggla said.

And he sucks


BOO!

catbox_9 wrote:

And he sucks


BOO!

They got out of the inning somehow I'll put my sniper rifle away...for now.

Good God he sucks How'd he make the All-Star team

I am very glad to see that the fish have not changed the way they go about business for the all star game. 3 errors for the NL and they are owned by

He seriously doesn't usually suck that bad :haha:

In all seriousness, if the NL loses this (again ) someone needs to spend the night with him so he doesn't kill himself. I'd suggest a mediocre-looking hooker....he doesn't deserve a really attractive one!

catbox_9 wrote:

In all seriousness, if the NL loses this (again ) someone needs to spend the night with him so he doesn't kill himself. I'd suggest a mediocre-looking hooker....he doesn't deserve a really attractive one!

He has had a wife and 2 kids. The wife is filing for divorce and changing her (and her kids') names as I write this.

Actually, i heard she was filling for divorce about a month ago, but then she had a baby so who knows Holy shit, apparently he wants the world to know just how the fish play every night

SoulRat wrote:

Actually, i heard she was filling for divorce about a month ago,

She must've known about this in advanced.
In all seriousness, you can't blame her. In even more seriousness divorced at 28 kind of sucks.

Holy , Dan Uggla sucks!

bobrob2004 wrote:

Holy , Dan Uggla sucks!

Don't blame me, I didn't vote his ass in.

catbox_9 wrote:

SoulRat wrote:

Actually, i heard she was filling for divorce about a month ago,

She must've known about this in advanced.
In all seriousness, you can't blame her. In even more seriousness divorced at 28 kind of sucks.

They have cute kids though?

SoulRat wrote:

catbox_9 wrote:

SoulRat wrote:

Actually, i heard she was filling for divorce about a month ago,

She must've known about this in advanced.
In all seriousness, you can't blame her. In even more seriousness divorced at 28 kind of sucks.

They have cute kids though?

No such thing

catbox_9 wrote:

SoulRat wrote:

catbox_9 wrote:

SoulRat wrote:

Actually, i heard she was filling for divorce about a month ago,

She must've known about this in advanced.
In all seriousness, you can't blame her. In even more seriousness divorced at 28 kind of sucks.

They have cute kids though?

No such thing

Uh huh, his little boy is adorable. The girl is only like, 2 weeks so she's probably ugly, but that little boy is a doll.

SoulRat wrote:

catbox_9 wrote:

SoulRat wrote:

catbox_9 wrote:

SoulRat wrote:

Actually, i heard she was filling for divorce about a month ago,

She must've known about this in advanced.
In all seriousness, you can't blame her. In even more seriousness divorced at 28 kind of sucks.

They have cute kids though?

No such thing

Uh huh, his little boy is adorable. The girl is only like, 2 weeks so she's probably ugly, but that little boy is a doll.

I guess and about the girl :haha: I don't care for infants. My mom came home all excited the other day because she got to hold an 8 day old baby. Yippie

I wonder if this is a game he will sit around with his grandchildren someday and talk about all the "highlights" ?

SoulRat wrote:

I wonder if this is a game he will sit around with his grandchildren someday and talk about all the "highlights" ?

And the grandkid will kill him!

catbox_9 wrote:

SoulRat wrote:

I wonder if this is a game he will sit around with his grandchildren someday and talk about all the "highlights" ?

And the grandkid will kill him!

I would seriously hate to be the one he gets to go home to tonight

I was just reading a poor dan uggla thread on the Marlins site and someone said, "This is just like watching a Marlins game" It was!

SoulRat wrote:

I was just reading a poor dan uggla thread on the Marlins site and someone said, "This is just like watching a Marlins game" It was!

SoulRat wrote:

catbox_9 wrote:

SoulRat wrote:

I wonder if this is a game he will sit around with his grandchildren someday and talk about all the "highlights" ?

And the grandkid will kill him!

I would seriously hate to be the one he gets to go home to tonight

I'd say what I thought when I read that but then you'd call a psychiatrist for me. My mind is all fucked up apparently

So yeah, 3 errors probably isnt good for an "All Star."
My guess is he will not be in next year.

3 errors, that's not too good.

They may have actually won, if it hadn't been for him!

gdennis59 wrote:

So yeah, 3 errors probably isnt good for an "All Star."

On the plus side he's the first guy ever to do that in an All-Star game so he's in the record books. Not only did he have 3 errors, but TWICE he came up with a chance to give his team the lead with a runner on 3rd and 1 out and neither time did he get the job done. That's like an error right there so basically had 5 errors. Other than that he had a good game though.

SoulRat wrote:

catbox_9 wrote:

Other than that he had a good game though.

:haha:
On a similar note, other than one mishap, Mrs. Lincoln liked the play.

Oh yeah, I forgot about Uggla's other 2 K's. Holy shit he sucked. He didn't kill himself though once again proving ballplayers don't care - they just want the $$$$$.

Uggla wrote:

"That was a rough one," Uggla said. "I'm not going to lie. Sometimes it's not your night. Tonight wasn't my night. You move forward, you take those. No excuses, but stuff like that happens."

Uggla wrote:

"Still had a lot of fun. I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Apparently he's a little girl, too...

Uggla wrote:

"I'll tell you what, I was holding back some tears, man," Uggla said. "I had some chills going. That was probably the coolest things I've ever been a part of."

That last one is about the pregame ceremony, not his shitty play.

catbox_9 wrote:

Uggla wrote:

"That was a rough one," Uggla said. "I'm not going to lie. Sometimes it's not your night. Tonight wasn't my night. You move forward, you take those. No excuses, but stuff like that happens."

This is your basic answer for everything. "Stuff like that happens." Every single one of them say it. I think it's taught in Fishie 101. I'm totally convinced Kevin Gregg teaches this class.

catbox_9 wrote:

Apparently he's a little girl, too...

Uggla wrote:

"I'll tell you what, I was holding back some tears, man," Uggla said. "I had some chills going. That was probably the coolest things I've ever been a part of."

That last one is about the pregame ceremony, not his shitty play.

I cried during the pregame ceremony, but I'm a girl, so I can

SoulRat wrote:

I cried during the pregame ceremony, but I'm a girl, so I can

Why? Nobody died or anything. I didn't even cry when they went "From the San Francisco Giants....Brian Wilson. From the...." and totally ignored the fact that the greatest All-Star of them all was in his death bed

I dunno I did though