Mark Hendrickson sought to improve his batting eye when he had LASIK surgery during the winter. But hits aren’t the only things piling up for the pitcher. So are the wins. 

Hendrickson tapped out a pair of hits Monday — and became the majors’ third pitcher to reach four wins — as the Marlins rolled to a 10-4 victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

‘’It’s nice to get out to a good start,'’ said Hendrickson, who improved his record to 4-1 while the Marlins maintained their position atop the National League East standings. “It’s nice for this team to get out to a good start. I think it builds confidence in here.'’

If he fell short at all as the Marlins embarked on a weeklong trip, it was in failing to record the team’s first complete game since 2006. Hendrickson had a chance to end the drought at 200 consecutive games, but didn’t go back out for the ninth after manager Fredi Gonzalez decided 102 pitches was enough.

Not that Hendrickson cared. ‘’Fredi’s job is to win games, not to see his starter go complete games,'’ Hendrickson said.

And the Marlins (12-7) are winning at the moment. Only the 2004 Marlins, who were 13-6 after 19 games, jumped out to a better start at the same point in the season.

The outcome was never much in doubt on Monday.

Hanley Ramirez keyed a four-run second inning with his sixth home run, and the Marlins continued to pile it on Pirates starter Matt Morris and a cast of relievers, banging out 16 hits, including 11 for extra bases.

OTHER HOMERS

Josh Willingham and Dan Uggla also homered as every Marlin in the starting lineup hit safely and scored at least one run. Hendrickson, a notoriously poor hitter until choosing to have eye surgery over the winter, wasn’t left out of the offensive mix.

He doubled and singled in a run, leaving him 3 for 12 at the plate on the season.

It was after going 1 for 46 for the Los Angeles Dodgers the previous two seasons that Hendrickson decided to get his eyes fixed. Now he’s seeing results he didn’t expect — as a pitcher and hitter.

‘’Being honest, I’m seeing the [catcher’s] glove a lot better this year, and I think that’s allowed my eyes to relax and allowed my body to relax,'’ he said. “And I’m able to locate pitches a lot better.'’

The only other pitchers with four wins are Arizona’s Brandon Webb and Boston’s Daisuke Matsuzaka.

While the Marlins were piling up the runs Monday, Hendrickson was finding his groove. After giving up a pair of two-out runs in the second, he retired 15 of the next 17 batters before running into trouble in the eighth. He entered the inning with 88 pitches and a realistic shot at a complete game. The Marlins haven’t had one of those since Dontrelle Willis went the distance on Sept. 10, 2006.

But after Hendrickson gave up a leadoff single, Luis Gonzalez dropped a fly ball for an error, and Freddy Sanchez beat out an infield hit, Matt Lindstrom went to work in the Marlins’ bullpen. Hendrickson got out of the inning, allowing two runs, but Fredi Gonzalez figured enough was enough and had Lindstrom pitch the ninth.

‘’If he had a cleaner eighth, there was no question we would have given him the opportunity to complete the game,'’ Gonzalez said.

SUPPORTS SURGERY

Hendrickson hasn’t thrown on of those since 2006 when he was with Tampa Bay. Then again, he never had two hits in an entire SEASON — much less a game — until Monday. Only a diving stop by Sanchez, the Pirates’ second baseman, prevented Hendrickson from finishing the night with three hits.

No wonder he was touting eye surgery afterward.

‘’It’s not only changed my baseball, but it’s helped me tremendously in life a lot better,'’ he said. “I recommend it to anybody.'’

From The Miami Herald Newspaper

So many people ask the question. Are my allergies going to stop me from having Lasik eye surgery? The answer is… NO, you can still have lasik surgery! So please dont let that stop you coming in and seeing if you are a candidate. Remember, Dr. Bosem is always going to check the health of your eyes. If he finds for whatever reason that you have a medical problem, he is always going to take care of the issue, and wait until you are healed to do any kind of surgery. So dont let Springtime Allergies Stop You From Freedom Of Glasses or Contacts!!!!!

We got a interesting phone call today…. From a former patient that didnt state their name, but said they have sent of referrals. They stated that we were very nice and all their friends were pleased with the Dr. and his staff.

She than said to remember: A POSITIVE ATTITUDE IS LIKE A FIRE, IF YOU DONT ADD FUEL, IT WILL GO OUT!!

A young male patient came into my office at the begining of February. He was interested in having the lasik surgery, but was not sure that he was a candidate because of his very high prescription. After evaluating him, I found that he was a perfect candidate for the “BLADEFREE”Intralase Method. The patient was a contact lens wearer and I recommended he be out of them at least a week before surgery. He did not own a pair of glasses, so we helped him get glasses for the short time before surgery. This patient was a -12.00 in both eyes, so my staff and I were very excited to help this young man achieve freedom from glasses and contacts. The day of his surgery he came in and was ready to take this next step in his life. He was here for a total of about two hours and when he left he was walking around just smiling that he did not have to leave with glasses. I have seen him post operatively since his surgery, and he has nothing but wonderful things to say about his new vision. So he is truly is a changed man!!