WASHINGTON -- Jacob Amaya credits his dad, Robert, for molding him into the baseball player he became. As early as age 6, Jacob can remember Robert hitting him ground balls he’d field without a glove at his dad’s direction, to sharpen his skills, instincts and toughness. Jacob would take balls off the chest and he split nails plucking others off the California dirt. The workouts were family affairs, involving not just father and son, but Jacob’s grandfather and brother as well, baseball the bedrock of their connection.
Those formative memories came rushing back to Amaya on Sunday afternoon in the nation’s capital, while he spent his MLB debut doing a little bit of everything in the Marlins’ 4-2 win over the Nationals. With his dad and brother in the stands, Amaya collected his first MLB hit, run, RBI and stolen base as Jesús Luzardo fired six innings of two-run ball to help Miami secure a tidy three-game sweep. With their 16th victory in 21 games, the surging Marlins moved 10 games over .500 (41-31) for the first time since May 29, 2011.
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