The Miami Marlins welcome back one of their leaders tonight in Dee Gordon, who has completed his 80-game PED suspension. The Marlins will welcome him back with open arms, but will only have his services for the remaining games in the regular season. Per MLB rules he is not eligible for the postseason.
I get he got caught, but what was the meaning of the 80 game suspension if you also take away his right to join his team if they make the postseason? I’m not here to argue for any other player; I’m here to speak on the behalf of Gordon. You do the crime; you do the time has been the motto for centuries. Gordon and the Miami Marlins did their time together without a word in the press. They did they talking on the field as the Marlins are currently in the thick of the playoff race. No one saw this coming and maybe MLB figured as much when the suspension was handed down. It’s like, “we will punish you and your team for 80 games, then punish you both some later on”. 80 games is a lot to miss in a season, and to think that Gordon wasn’t sitting at home fuming as he watched his once-laughingstock of a team defy the bigger market teams and contend, that had to humble him.
The Marlins are the feel food story of the year, and to think they haven’t reached their potential yet because their 2nd best player wasn’t on the field. Well, he’s back now, and the Marlins just got that much better. Gordon is not your typical player, not saying he is MVP-level good but he does things that many can only dream about and with a chip on his shoulder entering Thursday’s game you best believe he will look to unleash everything he can in his first nine innings.
To make the stage even better, the Marlins are going head-to-head with the St. Louis Cardinals, who are hot on their trails for the NL Wild Card. His timing couldn’t be better. The Marlins have won games with timely hitting and pitching but rank near the bottom in most offensive categories mainly due to Gordon’s absence. How can you think that a player who stole 58 bases, batted .333 with 200+ hits last season would not be missed, not only for Marlins fans but baseball in general?
He will provide a huge boost to an offense that’s in need of one, but it’s a shame that after years of being lost in the shadows the Marlins can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel, but Gordon won’t be there as they walk through the light.