Marlon Anderson
Encyclopedia
Marlon Ordell Anderson is a former Major League Baseball
utility player. He was widely known for his clutch hits, and writers for publications including The New York Times
and Newsday
had referred to him as one of the best pinch-hitters in the game. He is currently the hitting coach for the Hagerstown Suns
.
from 1988 to 1992. Anderson was a student and a letterman in football
and baseball
. He was coached by a baseball legend in Alabama known as Roger Lambert who also coached Marlon's two younger brother's Keto Anderson and Randy Anderson.
. As a senior, he posted a .357 batting average
with thirteen home run
s, and was the Sun Belt Conference
Player of the Year and a Baseball America
first team All-America
n.
in the second round of the amateur draft. In , while playing for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons
, he was named the International League
Rookie
of the Year. On September 8 of the same year, he made his Major League debut as a pinch hitter
, hitting a home run off Mel Rojas
of the New York Mets.
in , and . In , because neither his offense nor his defense were considered exceptional, Plácido Polanco
replaced him as the Phillies second baseman (also Chase Utley
was then a top prospect of the Phillies' Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons
); Anderson was not offered a contract by the Phillies and signed as a free agent
with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
. In , Anderson signed with the St. Louis Cardinals
and filled a niche as a utility infielder. He also became known for his skill at pinch hitting, tying for the National League
lead in pinch hits with 17 that year.
on June 11, 2005, when he tied the score in the ninth inning with an inside-the-park home run
off Angels closer
Francisco Rodríguez. The ball caromed away from center fielder
Steve Finley
, who ran it down in right-center field as Anderson circled the bases. Anderson barely beat the play at the plate, colliding face-first into catcher
José Molina's mask.
. His contract ensured that the only two big leaguers ever to be named Marlon (the other is Marlon Byrd
) would be teammates on the Nationals.
after scoring the winning run in a 6-5 thriller against the Phillies in Washington. At the time, Washington had been struggling for much of the season and was not a playoff factor while the Dodgers appeared to be headed for the playoffs with the NL West division crown. Anderson was brought in hopes to assist in the Dodgers' playoff push. He was intended to be a pinch hitter, but Anderson won the starting job in left field when rookie Andre Ethier
struggled towards the end of the season.
On September 18, 2006, with the Dodgers playing the San Diego Padres
for first place in the National League West
with only two weeks left in the regular season, Anderson went five for five, including two home runs. His second home run that night was the last of a record tying four consecutive home runs in the bottom of the 9th inning, following home runs hit by Jeff Kent
, J. D. Drew
, and Russell Martin
. Anderson's home run tied the score at 9-9 after the Dodgers trailed 9-5 to begin the inning. The Dodgers would eventually win the game on a walk-off home run
by Nomar Garciaparra
, and would tie San Diego for the NL West title. The tiebreaker however, went to San Diego as they had beaten the Dodgers 13 of 18 games in 2006. The Dodgers would still make the playoffs after being awarded the wild card spot.
The emergence of young Dodgers prospects Matt Kemp
and James Loney
contributed to Anderson's playing time diminishing during the first half of the season and he was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on June 29, 2007, ending his tenure with the club. He cleared waivers and became a free agent
on July 11. He was promptly signed to a minor league contract by the Mets on July 12.
single
in that game.
On August 29, 2007, Anderson was part of a critical play between the Mets and second-place Philadelphia Phillies at a game in Citizens Bank Park
. With the Phillies leading 6-5 with one out and the bases loaded in the ninth inning, Shawn Green
hit a high-chop ground ball to shortstop
. In trying to break up a double play
, Anderson dove into Tadahito Iguchi
, the Phillies second baseman, but missed tagging second and stepped clearly out of the basepath. The second base umpire called him out on interference, resulting in a double play. Replays of the incident showed that Green would have easily beaten out the play, with Phillies announcer Harry Kalas
stating, in a depressed voice, "that's not a double play ball" as the high-chop ball came down in front of Jimmy Rollins
. The Mets would go on to lose the final game of the series, resulting in a critical four-game sweep by the Phils, who would eventually take the division on the final day of the season from the Mets.
Anderson signed a two-year contract worth $2.2 million to return to the Mets in . On May 23, 2008, he seriously injured his hamstring in a game against the Colorado Rockies
on a groundout.
On April 11, 2009, the Mets designated Anderson for assignment. Later that week, he was released by the Mets.
of the independent Atlantic League
.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
utility player. He was widely known for his clutch hits, and writers for publications including The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
had referred to him as one of the best pinch-hitters in the game. He is currently the hitting coach for the Hagerstown Suns
Hagerstown Suns
The Hagerstown Suns are a Minor League Baseball team based in Hagerstown, Maryland, United States. They play in Municipal Stadium, which was opened in 1930 and seats 4,600 fans....
.
High school years
Anderson attended Prattville High SchoolPrattville High School
Prattville High School, formerly Autauga County High School, is a high school in Prattville, Alabama and forms part of the Autauga County School System...
from 1988 to 1992. Anderson was a student and a letterman in football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. He was coached by a baseball legend in Alabama known as Roger Lambert who also coached Marlon's two younger brother's Keto Anderson and Randy Anderson.
College years
Anderson attended the University of South AlabamaUniversity of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama is a public, doctoral-level university in Mobile, Alabama, USA. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. No other areas of the state were willing to support such a...
. As a senior, he posted a .357 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
with thirteen home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s, and was the Sun Belt Conference
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
Player of the Year and a Baseball America
Baseball America
Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
first team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n.
Pro career
Anderson was drafted by the Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
in the second round of the amateur draft. In , while playing for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees are a professional minor league baseball club located based in the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre area. They currently play in the International League's Northern Division and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees Major League Baseball club...
, he was named the International League
International League
The International League is a minor league baseball league that operates in the eastern United States. Like the Pacific Coast League and the Mexican League, it plays at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It was so named because it had teams in both the United States...
Rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
of the Year. On September 8 of the same year, he made his Major League debut as a pinch hitter
Pinch hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead ; the manager may use any player that has not yet entered the game as a substitute...
, hitting a home run off Mel Rojas
Mel Rojas
Melquiades Rojas Medrano was a pitcher with a 10 year career from 1990 to 1999. He played for the Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers of the National League and the Detroit Tigers of the American League.His best season was in 1992, when he posted a 7-1 record in 68...
of the New York Mets.
Phillies
Anderson was the Phillies starting second basemanSecond baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
in , and . In , because neither his offense nor his defense were considered exceptional, Plácido Polanco
Plácido Polanco
Plácido Enrique Polanco is a Major League Baseball player who plays for the Philadelphia Phillies and has also played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers. He is a third baseman, but in the past has played second base and shortstop...
replaced him as the Phillies second baseman (also Chase Utley
Chase Utley
Chase Cameron Utley is a second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. A native of the Greater Los Angeles area, he was raised in the city of Long Beach. He was a star baseball player at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, before moving on to UCLA...
was then a top prospect of the Phillies' Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons
The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees are a professional minor league baseball club located based in the Scranton-Wilkes-Barre area. They currently play in the International League's Northern Division and are the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees Major League Baseball club...
); Anderson was not offered a contract by the Phillies and signed as a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
. In , Anderson signed with the St. Louis Cardinals
St. Louis Cardinals
The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...
and filled a niche as a utility infielder. He also became known for his skill at pinch hitting, tying for the National League
National League
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...
lead in pinch hits with 17 that year.
New York Mets
In , Anderson signed with the New York Mets, where he served as a pinch hitter. Anderson batted over .300 in pinch-hit situations. Anderson’s Met highlight occurred during an interleague game with the Los Angeles Angels of AnaheimLos Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
on June 11, 2005, when he tied the score in the ninth inning with an inside-the-park home run
Inside-the-park home run
In baseball parlance, an inside-the-park home run, "leg home run", or "quadruple", is a play where a batter hits a home run without hitting the ball out of play.-Discussion:...
off Angels closer
Closer (baseball)
In baseball, a closing pitcher, more frequently referred to as a closer , is a relief pitcher who specializes in closing out games, i.e., getting the final outs in a close game. Closers often appear when the score is close, and the role is often assigned to a team's best reliever. A small number of...
Francisco Rodríguez. The ball caromed away from center fielder
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
Steve Finley
Steve Finley
Steven Allen Finley is a former Major League Baseball outfielder.-Early life:Finley, who grew up in Paducah, Kentucky, attended Paducah Tilghman High School and Southern Illinois University, where he earned a degree in physiology and played for the baseball team from 1984–87.-College, Team USA,...
, who ran it down in right-center field as Anderson circled the bases. Anderson barely beat the play at the plate, colliding face-first into catcher
Catcher
Catcher is a position for a baseball or softball player. When a batter takes his turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. This is a catcher's primary duty, but he is also called upon to master many other skills in order to...
José Molina's mask.
Washington Nationals
On November 18, 2005, Anderson signed a two-year contract with the Washington NationalsWashington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball . The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium...
. His contract ensured that the only two big leaguers ever to be named Marlon (the other is Marlon Byrd
Marlon Byrd
Marlon Jerrard Byrd , popularly known as The Position or The Possish or Sish, is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Chicago Cubs...
) would be teammates on the Nationals.
Los Angeles Dodgers
On August 31, 2006, Anderson was traded by the Nationals to the Los Angeles DodgersLos Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
after scoring the winning run in a 6-5 thriller against the Phillies in Washington. At the time, Washington had been struggling for much of the season and was not a playoff factor while the Dodgers appeared to be headed for the playoffs with the NL West division crown. Anderson was brought in hopes to assist in the Dodgers' playoff push. He was intended to be a pinch hitter, but Anderson won the starting job in left field when rookie Andre Ethier
Andre Ethier
Andre Everett Ethier , is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers.In 2009, Ethier hit six walk off hits , which was the most by any player in the Major Leagues since 1974. His four walk-off home runs tied the Major League record for most in a season...
struggled towards the end of the season.
On September 18, 2006, with the Dodgers playing the San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
for first place in the National League West
National League West
The National League Western Division, or NL West, is one of the three divisions of Major League Baseball's National League. It was created in 1969 when the previously undivided National League expanded its membership to twelve teams, positioning half of them in an Eastern division and the other...
with only two weeks left in the regular season, Anderson went five for five, including two home runs. His second home run that night was the last of a record tying four consecutive home runs in the bottom of the 9th inning, following home runs hit by Jeff Kent
Jeff Kent
Jeffrey Franklin Kent is a retired Major League Baseball second baseman. Kent won the National League Most Valuable Player award in 2000 with the San Francisco Giants, and is the all-time leader in home runs among second basemen...
, J. D. Drew
J. D. Drew
David Jonathan "J. D." Drew is an American professional baseball right fielder who is a free agent. He is a left-handed hitter, and began his major league career in with the St. Louis Cardinals...
, and Russell Martin
Russell Martin
Russell Nathan Jeanson Coltrane Martin, Jr is a Canadian Major League Baseball catcher for the New York Yankees.Martin became the everyday catcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers immediately upon his Major League debut, and continued in that role for nearly 5 years...
. Anderson's home run tied the score at 9-9 after the Dodgers trailed 9-5 to begin the inning. The Dodgers would eventually win the game on a walk-off home run
Walk-off home run
In baseball, a walk-off home run is a home run that ends the game. It must be a home run that gives the home team the lead in the bottom of the final inning of the game—either the ninth inning, or any extra inning, or any other regularly scheduled final inning...
by Nomar Garciaparra
Nomar Garciaparra
Anthony Nomar Garciaparra is a former Major League Baseball player. After playing parts of 9 seasons as an All-Star shortstop for the Boston Red Sox, he played third base, first base, and designated hitter for the Oakland Athletics, first base and third base for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and...
, and would tie San Diego for the NL West title. The tiebreaker however, went to San Diego as they had beaten the Dodgers 13 of 18 games in 2006. The Dodgers would still make the playoffs after being awarded the wild card spot.
The emergence of young Dodgers prospects Matt Kemp
Matt Kemp
Matthew Ryan "Matt" Kemp is a Major League Baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers.Kemp was drafted by the Dodgers in the 6th round of the 2003 draft and made his major league debut in 2006...
and James Loney
James Loney (baseball player)
James Anthony Loney is a first baseman in Major League Baseball who plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers.-Prep career:...
contributed to Anderson's playing time diminishing during the first half of the season and he was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on June 29, 2007, ending his tenure with the club. He cleared waivers and became a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
on July 11. He was promptly signed to a minor league contract by the Mets on July 12.
New York Mets
One week later, on July 19, Anderson was called up to play for the Mets. Ironically, he started his first game back with the Mets against the Dodgers, the team that had just released him. He had a 2-RBIRun batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
single
Single (baseball)
In baseball, a single is the most common type of base hit, accomplished through the act of a batter safely reaching first base by hitting a fair ball and getting to first base before a fielder puts him out...
in that game.
On August 29, 2007, Anderson was part of a critical play between the Mets and second-place Philadelphia Phillies at a game in Citizens Bank Park
Citizens Bank Park
Citizens Bank Park is a 43,647-seat baseball park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, part of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, and home of the Philadelphia Phillies. Citizens Bank Park opened on April 3, 2004, and hosted its first regular season baseball game on April 12 of the same year, with the...
. With the Phillies leading 6-5 with one out and the bases loaded in the ninth inning, Shawn Green
Shawn Green
Shawn David Green is a former Major League Baseball player.Green was a 1st round draft pick and a two-time major league All-Star...
hit a high-chop ground ball to shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
. In trying to break up a double play
Double play
In baseball, a double play for a team or a fielder is the act of making two outs during the same continuous playing action. In baseball slang, making a double play is referred to as "turning two"....
, Anderson dove into Tadahito Iguchi
Tadahito Iguchi
is a Japanese second baseman currently playing for the Chiba Lotte Marines.-Early life and Japanese career:Iguchi began playing in high school and after graduating in 1993, went to Aoyama Gakuin University where he distinguished himself by hitting the Tohto University Baseball League record of...
, the Phillies second baseman, but missed tagging second and stepped clearly out of the basepath. The second base umpire called him out on interference, resulting in a double play. Replays of the incident showed that Green would have easily beaten out the play, with Phillies announcer Harry Kalas
Harry Kalas
Harry Norbert Kalas was an American sportscaster, best known for his Ford C. Frick Award-winning role as lead play-by-play announcer for Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies...
stating, in a depressed voice, "that's not a double play ball" as the high-chop ball came down in front of Jimmy Rollins
Jimmy Rollins
James Calvin "Jimmy" Rollins , nicknamed "J-Roll", is an All-Star and former MVP shortstop, who most recently played for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball's National League....
. The Mets would go on to lose the final game of the series, resulting in a critical four-game sweep by the Phils, who would eventually take the division on the final day of the season from the Mets.
Anderson signed a two-year contract worth $2.2 million to return to the Mets in . On May 23, 2008, he seriously injured his hamstring in a game against the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
on a groundout.
On April 11, 2009, the Mets designated Anderson for assignment. Later that week, he was released by the Mets.
Independent League
On June 14, 2009, Anderson signed with the Newark BearsNewark Bears
The Newark Bears are an American professional baseball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are a member of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. Since the 1999 season, the Bears have played their home games at Bears &...
of the independent Atlantic League
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball
The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball is a professional, independent baseball organization located primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, especially the greater metropolitan areas of the Northeast megalopolis. It operates in cities not served by Major or Minor League...
.