2000 Miracle Season Recap

Missed it by that much

The month of April found the Miracle trying to develop an identity and unable to play .500 ball. Nearing the end of the month, the Miracle seemed headed for the bottom of the league after a 14-game stretch saw them go 4-10. Included in this stretch the Miracle were no-hit by the Dunedin Blue Jays and lost the game 9-0 on April 22 at Hammond Stadium, ironically the first fireworks night of the year. This game may have hit a nerve in the collective team spirit - within a week the offense and pitching started to click. The resurgence began in Kissimmee where the Miracle took three out of four from the East's second-place Cobras, including a 14-3 whitewashing in the first game. followed by shutout victories of 3-0 and 1-0. The Miracle had gained momentum and the month of May was owned by the now-determined Miracle who had found their identity. They had become a close-knit group of players that would refuse to lose, players who knew their own as well as each other's abilities and what they were capable of doing as a team. They would win by doing whatever it took.

The East Division-leading and hard-hitting St. Luce Mets strolled into town and the Miracle were unimpressed. The pitching shut down the league's best hitting team, and the Miracle took three out of four from the Mets. The Miracle were now only two games under the .500 mark and were hungry for a division title.

The Miracle became road warriors sweeping Brevard on their home turf. They swept a two-game series in St. Pete and took three of four in Sarasota. The Miracle reached a high-water mark at 37-28 and were ready to battle the Dunedin Blue Jays. They were just four games out of first.

June became a race to the division title that was day-by-day, game-by-game and virtually hour-by-hour. The Miracle fans and players became avid scoreboard watchers. The Miracle would win a game and literally move into first by percentage points and then just minutes later would find out that Dunedin had also won their game and jumped back into first. The Miracle would lose and Dunedin would lose. The Miracle could not get over the hump, and a four-game losing streak ended the hopes of a first-half title as the Miracle finished 2.5 games back, in second.

The Miracle now knew they could compete in the second half. The All-Star Game came and was played in Jupiter at the Hammerheads' home park. The Miracle sent pitchers Juan Rincon and Saul Rivera and second baseman Ruben Salazar. Salazar would continue with the Miracle in the second half, but Rincon and Rivera would be promoted to AA New Britain.

The second half brought several player changes for the Miracle. In addition to losing Rincon and Rivera, they also lost pitchers Thomas Howard and Danny Mota, all to promotions. Starting left-handed pitcher Joe Thomas was hit by the injury bug and would not play until late in the second half. Outfielder Dustin Mohr, who was pivotal in the drive for first place while leading the team in home runs, RBIs and clutch hits, would go down with an injury and not play the remainder of the year. Outfielder Brian McMillin would return from an injury that had kept him out for most of the first half. Backup catcher Allen Shrum was also promoted to AA.

The biggest additions would come on the pitching staff. Hard throwing number-one draft pick (second overall in the June draft) Adam Johnson would be the spark that would ignite the club to a second-half surge. Add to the staff free agent pitcher Jon McDonald and also two pitchers sent down from New Britain, Peter Fisher and Ken Pumphrey, and the Miracle now had a strong starting staff. Starting pitcher Brent Schoening and middle reliever/closer Kevin Frederick would round out a dominant staff for pitching coach Eric Rasmussen. Include outfielder Michael Restovich, who was now adjusting to Florida State League pitching after struggling in the first half, and MVP play from catcher Brandon Marsters, and the Miracle were ready to do some damage to the rest of the league.

The perfect balance of hitting, strong pitching and good defense helped the Miracle to lead their division for the entire second half. Seven times the offense scored more than 10 runs, and the pitching staff matched that total by throwing seven shutouts. Losing three games in a row only once and having only five two-game losing streaks helped the Miracle's second half success. Three times the Miracle won four straight-once a six-game winning streak-and culminated the second half with a seven-game winning streak, going 17-5 to end the regular season. The Miracle headed for a Western Division playoff showdown with their year long nemesis Dunedin for a chance to meet the East winner for the Florida State League championship.

The Miracle went 4-8 against the Blue Jays during the regular season and the Jays still had the Miracle's number in the playoffs, taking the first two games of the best of three to win the West Division title and the chance to play the East winners, the Daytona Cubs.

It was an exciting and fun-filled year. The Miracle continued to prove that you couldn't beat fun at the ballpark, as witnessed by a new Miracle record attendance of 115,847 fans. The year 2000 maybe only a preview of the success the Miracle will have both on the field and in the stands. The Twins organization has one of the best minor league systems in baseball. There are many more future stars on their way up with a stop in Ft. Myers as they head to the Minnesota Twins.

The year 2001 may bring another shot at the Florida State League title. We hope you, the fans, will enjoy the 2001 season as the Miracle continue their hunt for an FSL League Championship!