News

Atlanta Marlins Secure Back-to-Back Santa Shuffle Championships

12/8/25

The Atlanta Marlins delivered a complete tournament performance, going 4–0 and securing their second straight Santa Shuffle title. Strong starting pitching, timely extra-base hitting, and consistency throughout the lineup powered them through a field they once again controlled from start to finish.

Game 1 was a 5–3 win over the Bambinos behind left-hander Coy Martin, who struck out 11 across six innings while allowing only three runs and one walk. Aiden McSherry opened his weekend with a solo homer to left-center, Hall Middleton doubled, and Kaden Borst drove in two more with a single to center. Jimmy Martens recorded the save with a clean seventh.

In Game 2, the Marlins beat the Orioles 7–1 behind five shutout innings from Austin Brown. Matteo Lafratta launched a three-run homer to left-center, and McSherry followed with his second home run of the weekend. The offense scored four in the second, and the bullpen, Brett Miller and Jacob Summer, handled the final frames to close out the win.

Game 3 brought a 9–4 victory over the Atlanta Angels. McSherry delivered again with his third home run of the tournament, this time a two-run shot to right after a G. Amoroso double. Mason Carrier added an RBI double, and a four-run third inning blew the game open with contributions from McSherry, Jordan Fricks, Martens, and Bryce Becker. Fricks worked four solid innings on the mound, Lafratta struck out four in relief, and Zach Valentine’s two-run triple in the fifth capped another strong offensive performance.

The championship game was an 8–5 win over the Reds, and the Marlins struck immediately. The first three hitters reached, leading to four runs in the first: a two-RBI fielder’s choice from McSherry, a double by Brett Miller, and another double from Martens, who finished the game 4-for-4. Two additional runs came home in the fourth on an errant throw. Becker cruised through four innings on fewer than 30 pitches before the Reds rallied for five in the sixth to cut the lead to 6–5. The Marlins answered right away, loading the bases and getting a key RBI single from catcher Logan Swan, who also doubled and walked in the game. Middleton added an insurance run in the eighth with a disciplined walk, and Becker returned in the ninth to close the title with a strikeout.

The numbers reflect how complete the weekend was. The Marlins never trailed across four games and outscored opponents 29–13. McSherry led the offense, hitting .538 with 3 home runs, 6 extra-base hits, and a tournament OPS near 2.000. Martens hit .500 and reached base in 7 of 10 plate appearances, while Swan reached safely in all four of his trips in the championship and finished the weekend with a 1.500 OPS. As a group the Marlins’ rotation allowed just 10 runs across four starts, the bullpen surrendered only three earned runs in 10 innings, and the team finished with 19 extra-base hits while allowing  just 6.

With another unbeaten run, the Atlanta Marlins cemented themselves as one of the MABL’s top teams, no longer the upstart, but now the standard everyone else is trying to chase.