When current Miami Marlins infielder Miguel Rojas received his first Major League opportunity with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014, he quickly emerged as a quality utility player.
He appeared in 85 games that year and made 35 starts at various infield positions. Known for his glove, Rojas enjoyed his most notable moment as a big leaguer during the 2014 season. On June 18, he preserved Clayton Kershaw’s no-hitter with an excellent defensive stop behind third base.
This, after a costly throwing error by shortstop Hanley Ramirez earlier in the inning ended Kershaw’s perfect game bid. Prior to his stellar defensive play, Rojas blew the game open with a three-run double.
After the finale of a three-game series between the Dodgers and Marlins on Wednesday, Rojas fondly recalled Kershaw’s historic gem and how special he feels for having played a significant role in it, via Doug Padilla of MLB.com:
“It was a special day for me and it’s even more special because it’s the only [no-hitter] he has thrown so far and he’s had an amazing career,” Rojas said. “I feel like that was a pretty special moment in my life.”
Rojas’ stint with Los Angeles was short-lived, as he was part of a six-player trade during the 2014 Winter Meetings with the Marlins that netted Austin Barnes and Kiké Hernandez in return.
It was one of many significant moves for Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, who reshaped the roster on the fly in his his first offseason at the helm.
Rojas started in all three games against the Dodgers this week and recorded three hits in 13 at-bats. In the finale of the series, he hit a three-run home run off Kershaw to break a scoreless tie.
Now in his fourth season with the Marlins, Rojas is in the midst of a breakout season at the plate. Through 24 games and 101 plate appearances, he is batting .250/.310/.380 with a career-high three home runs and seven RBI.
