25-year Marliniversary: Lee's walk-off single in 14th propels Fish past Pirates

[Mike Ferguson]

On this day 25 years ago, Derrek Lee ended a marathon contest against Pittsburgh.

For the Florida Marlins, the 1999 season wasn't one to remember fondly. After a horrendous start, however, the team showed improvement as the year went on.

On this day 25 years ago, the club found a way to win in one of the longest games it played all season. After seven straight scoreless innings, Derrek Lee sent the crowd home happy with a walk-off single in the 14th inning as Florida outlasted the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3.

Neither team had scored since the sixth inning at Pro Player Stadium on May 20, 1999, as the contest headed to the bottom of the 14th. Antonio Alfonseca had worked three hitless, scoreless innings to give the Marlins a chance to walk it off.

Facing Pittsburgh closer Mike Williams, Cliff Floyd got the inning started with a fantastic at-bat, drawing an eight-pitch walk. After Kevin Orie grounded out to move Floyd to second, Williams intentionally walked Mark Kotsay to get to Lee and set up the double play.

That turned out to be a mistake.

With the count even 1-1, Lee hammered one into the right-centerfield gap. His shot one-hopped the wall and Floyd scored easily to give the Marlins the win in the series opener.

Tied 2-2 through four innings, the Pirates took the lead in the fifth on a solo home run by Brian Giles. In the bottom of the sixth, Florida drew even as Pittsburgh's Kris Benson balked home Kotsay.

Bruce Aven finished with three hits for the Marlins while Floyd and Preston Wilson each added two. Jason Kendall had four hits for the Pirates while Giles finished 2-for-5 with the aforementioned homer and two RBIs.

The story, however, was the Florida bullpen. Brent Billingsley, Brian Edmondson, Braden Looper and Alfonseca combined to allow just three hits in eight scoreless innings of relief. Alfonseca earned the win.

A six-year member of the Marlins, Lee would go on to have plenty of big moments for the team. His first walk-off hit for the club came on this day a quarter-century ago.

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