Skip Schumaker draws on his experience beating 2011 Phillies in message to underdog Marlins

The manager of the Miami Marlins has an infamous place in Phillies lore.

Remember Skip Schumaker?

OK, in case you blocked it out, a refresher: Schumaker punctuated a 10-pitch at-bat with an RBI double against Roy Halladay in the first inning of Game 5 of the 2011 National League Division Series. It marked the only run of the game, as the visiting St. Louis Cardinals stunned the 102-win Phillies in a game that ended an era.

“That was the best game I’ve ever been a part of,” Schumaker said Monday before the Marlins worked out at Citizens Bank Park. “I watch the game all the time. Not because I hit the double, but because it was so well played.”

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Schumaker ought to consider playing it on a loop in the visiting clubhouse this week as inspiration for the Marlins. Because without injured pitchers Sandy Alcantara and Eury Pérez, and with Luis Arraez dealing with a sprained ankle, they are heavy underdogs in the best-of-three series with the Phillies.

But even without the video accompaniment, Schumaker must have lessons from the 2011 Cardinals that can be applied to the 84-win Marlins, who didn’t clinch a playoff spot until the second-to-last game of the season.

“What you take away is, you just get in, you have a shot,” Schumaker said. “All we wanted was a chance. We have it. We have the ability to play in the postseason. That’s all you can ask for. You just never know what happens in the postseason. That’s the message. Take your best shot.”

Schumaker, 43, led a culture change in his first season at the helm of the Marlins. Known as a strong communicator, he set an expectation for winning that was rooted in two World Series championships with the Cardinals, the second in 2011.

And as Schumaker returned to the scene of his crime against the Phillies, he recalled in vivid detail being told by manager Tony La Russa that he would start in center field and the “biggest at-bat of my career” against Halladay.

“Doc was throwing everything at me,” Schumaker said. “I fouled balls off all parts of my body. I was just trying to do anything I could to put the ball in play. You’re fighting for your life. I just got lucky on the curveball.”

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Schumaker’s double, combined with Chris Carpenter’s three-hit gem, brought down the curtain on the Phillies’ last golden era. They won five consecutive division titles, two pennants, and a World Series from 2007-11. And the 2011 team may have been their best.

The Marlins have similarities to the 2011 Cardinals, who didn’t clinch a playoff spot until the final day of the season. Under Schumaker, the Marlins built confidence by going 33-13 in one-run games. General manager Kim Ng fortified the roster with deadline trades for infielders Josh Bell and Jake Burger, and Schumaker held it together down the stretch amid injuries.

Schumaker said Arraez likely will start Game 1. He has gotten just one at-bat since Sept. 23 because of a sprained left ankle.

“We have a big challenge ahead of us,” Schumaker said. “But our guys are looking forward to it.”

It took only one major league appearance for Orion Kerkering to solidify a spot on the Phillies’ postseason roster.

After three outings, is there a defined role for the 22-year-old righty?

“He’s a leverage guy,” manager Rob Thomson said. “He’s shown me enough stuff to be one of our top right-handers coming out of the bullpen.”

Kerkering, who soared through four levels of the farm system after opening the season in low-A and got called up on Sept. 22, wowed the staff and teammates with a wicked slider and high-90s fastball. He gave up one unearned run on two hits and two walks and struck out six in three innings.

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Trea Turner participated in the pre-series workout and is ready to play, as expected, after taking a pitch off the elbow Saturday in New York.

“He’s fine,” Thomson said. “He’ll be in the lineup.”

Turner’s season pivoted after the July 31-Aug. 3 series in Miami. He reached his low point with an 11th-inning misplay in a 12-inning loss. When the Phillies got home two nights later, Turner got standing ovations from the crowd, the impetus for a two-month stretch in which he batted .337/.389/.668 with 16 homers.

Thomson has settled on a Game 1 left fielder but wouldn’t make it public because he hadn’t informed the players. He hinted Sunday that righty-hitting Cristian Pache might be the choice because of his defense. ... The teams have until noon Tuesday to submit their rosters for the series. ... J.T. Realmuto on heightened expectations for the Phillies after their World Series run last year: “Honestly, that’s part of playing in Philadelphia. I think this group is used to playing with expectations. That run we went on last year is absolutely going to bring a little more expectations, so that’s a little more pressure that we’re going to play with. But I think it won’t be a problem, playing with a little extra pressure.”

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