His first game with the Marlins was nearly his last.
It was March 5, 1993, an hour or so before the Marlins were to play their first spring training game in Cocoa, that Rock Hughes feared for his job.
He had been ordered to make a burger run for hungry players and coaches, and as he was threading his way through heavy game traffic, he spotted something in the back seat of his car that brought him panic.
There sat the game balls, which were in his care.
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