Miracle wins last five games of season

By Glenn Miller
Fort Myers News-Press

DUNEDIN — The Fort Myers Miracle’s 140-game season ended on a steamy Sunday afternoon in Knology Park, about 146 miles from the team’s Lee County Sports Complex home, at 3:43 p.m., when center fielder Dustin Martin corralled a deep fly ball.

The Miracle closed out the season with a 17-5 defeat of the Dunedin Blue Jays. They had a season-high 34 hits to go along with their season best in runs.

Of more importance than that, perhaps, was the big picture. Although the Miracle didn’t qualify for the Florida State League playoffs, they won their final five games to finish the season at .500 (70-70). The last time they were at .500 was April 25, when they were 9-9.

The team that was 30-40 in the first half of the year rebounded to go 40-30 in the second half.

“It’s not how you start,” Miracle first baseman Erik Lis said. “It’s how you end.”

Fort Myers ended well but still fell short of one goal.

“Our guys wanted to make the playoffs,” manager Kevin Boles said.

“That’s what were working for. But there’s a lot to be thankful for the way these guys performed and the way they worked.”

The turnaround was, Boles believes, a testament to the team’s character.

“The team as a whole proved people wrong, a lot of people,” Boles said. “There was a lot of negative publicity toward the club after the first half. A lot of negative things being written about it and said about it.”

The final game was quite a send-off into the offseason. Martin was 4-for-5, with four RBI, two doubles and two runs scored. Lis belted a grand slam and had five RBI.

Catcher Jeff Christy was 3-for-6, with four runs scored, two doubles and a homer.

“A nice way to go out,” Christy said.

So was the five-game winning streak.

“We showed a lot of character, a lot of heart,” Christy said.

The team had its highs:

A 12-game winning streak in August.
First baseman Lis was an All-Star and led the league with 97 RBI, the second highest in Miracle history. The franchise’s Fort Myers record is 110, by Tommy Peterman in 1998.
Twelve players were promoted to Double-A or Triple-A.
Pitcher Yohan Pino threw a seven-inning no-hitter against St. Lucie on June 30.

Of course, the team suffered some low points:

Pitcher Zach Ward, despite a respectable 4.08 ERA, was 5-17.
Clearwater’s Andrew Carpenter hurled a perfect game against the Miracle last week.
At one point in the first half of the season, they endured a nine-game losing streak and lost 14 of 16.
The Miracle were shut out 18 times and finished last in the league in batting average and runs scored.

Overall, though, considering how far they climbed and the final game’s outburst, the Miracle were pleased Sunday afternoon as they prepared to pack for the bus ride home.

“I couldn’t be happier,” Lis said.

What’s down the road for the 2007 Miracle players? Will some of the young men who played in Fort Myers this year someday play in the majors?

“No question,” Boles said. “There are guys on this club that will play in the big leagues.”