Junior Dorian Gonzalez, Jr. sprints to home plate before scoring one of his three runs during the second game of the February 17, 2024 double-header 16-0 win against NJIT. Photo credit: Charisma Jones
After an eight-and-a-half-inning pitcher’s duel, Dorian Gonzalez Jr. only took three pitches to end the 1-1 stalemate with a walk-off solo blast over the wall in left-center field, clinching another ACC series victory for the Hurricanes.
After the Miami offense stole the show in game one with a 14-1 win, the opposite was true in game two, as both pitching staffs, led by Miami starter Rafe Schlesinger and UNC starter Jason Decaro, gave complete masterclass performances.
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Schlessinger threw 7.0 innings of one-run baseball, with the Tar Heels’ only run coming on an error by third baseman Daniel Cuvet. Decaro threw 6.1 innings of one-run ball, with the ‘Canes lone run coming on a solo shot by Jason Torres.
The only way to describe Schlesinger’s pitching is dominant and gritty. Not only did Schlessinger give up just one run, but he also emptied his tank, delivering an insane 109 pitches while still throwing gas with his pitch count in the 100s.
The key to his success was limiting UNC’s potent top-of-the-lineup. The first four Tar Heel batters combined to go 1-15 off of Miami pitching, including 0-4 and three strikeouts from the potential number one overall pick in the 2024 MLB draft, Vance Honeycutt.
After Schlesinger’s night, the UM bullpen took over right where he left off. Brian Walters and Nick Robert both hung clutch zeros on the board in high-leverage innings to allow the Miami offense to win.
The bats struggled in this game compared to last night’s eruption and the previous weekend’s hitting parade but came through when it mattered most.
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After being shut out for six innings, Torres gave the team and the fans a spark after he took a significant gamble swinging at a 3-0 fastball, lacing it over the center-field fence and just out of the reach of Honeycutt.
As Robert struck out Honeycutt to end the top half of the ninth, you could feel all the momentum shift into the Hurricane dugout, and it felt as if there was no way Miami was going to lose the game. Gonzalez Jr. then had the swing of the night in what could be a win that the Hurricanes look back on in May as one of their best overall wins of the season.
All this being said, the stage is set for the ‘Canes to get a top-15 series sweep before UM heads out on the road next weekend to Notre Dame for its first away series of the season. A big sweep and some momentum would be massive to bring to South Bend to try and stay unbeaten in the ACC series to begin the season.
Herick Hernandez will be on the bump tomorrow as Miami will take on North Carolina back at Mark Light Field at 1 p.m. looking for the sweep on Saint Patrick’s Day.
Lionel Messi will not play for Inter Miami as the defending Leagues Cup champions begin their repeat bid on Saturday at home against Puebla, Miami coach Gerardo Martino said Friday.
The 37-year-old Argentine striker suffered a right ankle injury in his nation’s victory over Colombia in the Copa America final this month.
Messi missed two MLS matches last week and Wednesday’s MLS All-Star Game against Mexico’s Liga MX All-Stars.
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Martino said Messi remains in a walking boot as he works with club trainers but “the ankle is getting better and better,” according to the Miami coach.
Last year, Messi arrived at Inter Miami and led the club on a title run in the inaugural edition of the Leagues Cup, which features MLS and Mexican clubs in a World Cup-style format.
There are 15 three-team groups in the first round and two from each will advance to the knockout stages along with the reigning league champions, Club America and the MLS Columbus Crew.
This year’s opening matches were played Friday with host Orlando routing Montreal 4-1, DC United winning 6-5 on penalties after a 3-3 draw at Atlanta and 10-man host Austin edging Mexico’s Pumas 3-2.
Icelandic midfielder Dagur Thorhallsson, Uruguay’s Facundo Torres and Argentine striker Ramiro Enrique gave Orlando a 3-0 half-time lead and Argentina’s Martin Ojeda added another goal in the 57th minute while Montreal’s Josef Martinez, a Venezuelan midfielder, averted a shutout loss in the 69th.
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Austin goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland denied a penalty shot by Pumas striker Guillermo Martinez in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time as the Texas club hung on after Osman Bukari’s red card in the 34th minute with Austin up 1-0 on Alexander Ring’s eighth-minute goal.
Gyasi Zardes and Sebastian Driussi added goals for Austin while Martinez and Ali Avila scored for Pumas to set up the thrilling finish.
DC United’s scheduled home match against Santos Laguna next Wednesday at Audi Field was moved to the home stadium of the Philadelphia Union — Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania — due to concerns over field conditions in Washington.
Leagues Cup organizers fined DC United an undisclosed sum over conditions, with the club saying it is installing a new grass field at the stadium on July 31, a move that had been previously planned for August 1.
It appears Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro took a step back and reevaluated himself this offseason.
The former Sixth Man of the Year accomplished this through a physical change. Herro posted to his Instagram story Friday evening, revealing his new hairstyle: a buzz cut. The picture was followed by another photo of Herro rocking a durag during his days with the Kentucky Wildcats. It was captioned “Getting my waves together.”
He isn’t the only star athlete to make a drastic hair change, as Cincinnati Bengals quarterback showed up to training camp rocking a blonde buzz cut.
Now it’s time for Herro to transform himself on the court. Last year’s campaign was full of injuries as well as shooting inconsistencies. He appeared in just 42 games, knocking down 44.1 percent of his shots. The public can realize the score-first gene within him, but Herro’s yet to put the trait into motion.
If veteran star Jimmy Butler heads elsewhere next summer, Herro will have no choice other than stepping up behind All-Star Bam Adebayo. He’s averaged more than 20 points in three consecutive seasons, proving his ability to score at a high volume. Alternatively, a promising season from Butler could result in a change of scenery for Herro.
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The Heat guard making major strides in the upcoming season could turn ‘Buzz Cut Herro’ into a permanent look.
Anthony Pasciolla works as a contributing writer to Miami Heat On SI. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or follow him on X @AnthonyPasci.
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Marcel Louis-Jacques, ESPNJul 26, 2024, 04:06 PM ET
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Marcel Louis-Jacques joined ESPN in 2019 as a beat reporter covering the Buffalo Bills, before switching to the Miami Dolphins in 2021. The former Carolina Panthers beat writer for the Charlotte Observer won the APSE award for breaking news and the South Carolina Press Association award for enterprise writing in 2018.
MIAMI — For just the second time since Dan Marino retired, the Miami Dolphins have signed a quarterback to a multiple-year extension.
Tua Tagovailoa agreed to a four-year, $212.4 million deal with the Dolphins that includes $167 million guaranteed, sources confirmed to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It’s the richest contract in franchise history and the guaranteed money is the eighth-most among quarterbacks.
It also ends a two-day standoff between Tagovailoa and the team, in which he was a minimal participant in Miami’s practices at training camp.
Tagovailoa joins Ryan Tannehill as the only quarterbacks to re-sign with Miami since Marino retired after the 1999 season. Tagovailoa, who the Dolphins selected fifth overall in 2020, is also the fourth quarterback from the 2020 class to sign an extension with the team that drafted him, joining Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts.
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“We’re strong believers in him. And you guys all feel (coach) Mike (McDaniel’s) passion about him when he talks about him,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said in February. “Just in the two years of what he’s done, he’s grown in areas to where he led the league in passing and did some great things this year. And we all feel there’s still another level he can take it.
“The way he’s attacked this and wants to be great and the combination of Mike and working with that and that trust and belief in each other, we do think there’s still another level which he could go.”
The Dolphins have publicly supported Tagovailoa over the past two years under McDaniel but offered their largest display of faith to date by giving the new deal.
Here’s how both sides got to this point.
Why did the Dolphins make a commitment to Tagovailoa?
Tagovailoa was unremarkable during his first two NFL seasons, completing 66.7% of his passes for 4,467 yards and 22 touchdowns against 15 interceptions in 2020 and 2021.
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He has blossomed under McDaniel while completing 67.4% of his passes. The Alabama product led the NFL in passing yards in 2023 with a career-high 4,624, playing a full season for the first time in his career (more on that later).
His draft classmates got off to stronger starts to their careers, but Tagovailoa’s first two years in Miami were marked by a lack of continuity. The Dolphins cycled through three offensive coordinators and two quarterback coaches in those first two seasons before hiring McDaniel in February 2022.
Since McDaniel’s arrival, Tagovailoa has thrown for the fourth-most passing yards (8,172) and fifth-most touchdowns (54) in the NFL. Tagovailoa’s 102.9 passer rating and 67.4% completion percentage also rank second and fifth in the league, respectively.
The Dolphins have started 25 different quarterbacks since Marino retired at the turn of the century, but Miami believes Tagovailoa is its franchise cornerstone and has rewarded him as such.
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Is there any risk in the long-term deal?
Entering the 2023 season, there was considerable skepticism regarding Tagovailoa’s ability to stay healthy for an entire season — skepticism which he met by changing his offseason preparation.
Tagovailoa bulked up to 225 pounds and trained in a jiu-jitsu break-fall course to learn how to keep his head from hitting the ground as it did on three notable occasions in 2022. It worked, and he finished the 2023 season without any major injuries.
But while Tagovailoa has thrived inside the structure McDaniel has built, he has struggled to create when plays broke down. He ranked third in quarterback rating when he attempted a pass in under 2.5 seconds (78.9). Beyond 2.5 seconds, he dropped to 16th (43.2).
His off-target throw percentage doubled on passes that took longer than 2.5 seconds to throw, from 11.2% to 22.1%. Considering his concussion history, teams don’t fear him as a runner; he picked up five first downs on the ground in 2023, which ranked 41st among qualified quarterbacks.
Tagovailoa’s accuracy and anticipation are his trademark strengths. His playmaking ability falls short of some of his peers, such as Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, but the Dolphins are banking on his strengths outweighing his weaknesses moving forward.
What took so long?
The negotiations left Tagovailoa feeling “ansty” as he watched the Detroit Lions sign quarterback Jared Goff to a four-year, $212 million deal with $170 million guaranteed.
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The feeling didn’t subside after the Jacksonville Jaguars inked Trevor Lawrence to a five-year, $275 million extension with up to $200 million in guaranteed money.
Tagovailoa was absent for a portion of the team’s offseason program prior to mandatory minicamp — which he attended, in full — and kept an eye on how the quarterback market was managed this offseason.
“I’m not blind to people that are in my position, who are getting paid,” he said. “Am I concerned about it? I’m not concerned about it, but there’s a lot of discussion that we’ve had. We’re just trying to move that thing in the right direction to where everyone can be happy.”
The guaranteed money — which ended up being $167 million — Tagovailoa’s deal may have been a point of contention through the negotiating process, a front office source told ESPN in May. Tagovailoa’s durability concerns were prevalent entering the 2023 season (more on that later), but he played all 18 games for the Dolphins last season and seemingly debunked said concerns.
What does this mean for the Dolphins’ Super Bowl window?
It’s still open, but it’s time to capitalize.
Miami now has premier offensive players signed for the foreseeable future in Tagovailoa, wide receivers Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, and running back De’Von Achane. The NFL’s top-ranked offense last season also added veteran wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. as well as rookie wideouts Malik Washington and Tahj Washington.
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With a couple tweaks and some good health, Miami’s offensive line is good enough to give its playmakers time to make an impact.
Defensively, the Dolphins have several young core players under team control, plus a star veteran in Jalen Ramsey. But the clock is ticking. Eventually, those budding stars will need contracts and Tagovailoa’s deal will ultimately hinder Miami’s ability to bring everyone back at market value.
The AFC features a gauntlet of talented quarterbacks Miami must get through to reach its first Super Bowl since 1984. It believes that, with Tagovailoa under center, it has enough to do exactly that.
