 Before the 2003 season Rodríguez signed with the Florida Marlins . By then a major @-@ league veteran of over a decade , he helped lead the young team to victory in the World Series . During the 2003 regular season , he set many Marlins single season records for a catcher , such as batting average , at .297 , and runs batted in , at 85 . On March 31 , Rodríguez became the tenth Marlins player ever to hit a home run in the team 's first game of the season . On April 8 , he set a Marlins single game record by drawing five walks in a game against the New York Mets . He had a nine @-@ game hitting streak from June 24 to July 2 , during which he batted .500 with seven doubles , two triples , and four home runs . From June 24 to July 1 , he drove in a run in eight consecutive games , another single season record for the Florida Marlins . In the post @-@ season , he was named National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player for the first time in his career . He also closed out the National League Division Series by holding onto the ball during a dramatic game @-@ ending collision at the plate with J. T. Snow in Game Four . He chose not to return to the Marlins following the 2003 season . 
