25-year Marliniversary: Kotsay's walk-off blast lifts Marlins past Mets

[Mike Ferguson]

On this day 25 years ago, Mark Kotsay's walk-off home run sent the Marlins home winners. 

A Golden Spikes Award winner in college at Cal State Fullerton, Mark Kotsay did a lot of things well over his 17-year Major League Baseball career. With good speed and a good arm, Kotsay hit for average, but was never really regarded for his power.

On this day 25 years ago, however, Kotsay's power showed up when it was needed most. His walk-off home run in the 10th inning lifted the Florida Marlins past the New York Mets, 4-3.

Kotsay was 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout as he came to bat against Mets right-hander Armando Benítez in the bottom of the 10th at Pro Player Stadium on June 30, 1999. Benítez retired Bruce Aven and Mike Lowell to open the inning. With the count 3-2, he was one strike away from sending the contest to the 11th.

On the sixth pitch of the at-bat, Benítez left a fastball up and Kotsay was able to turn on it, sending it beyond the wall in right field for a walk-off solo home run. It gave Florida just its third win in 12 games against the Mets to that point in the season.

Despite needing heroics from Kotsay, the Marlins never trailed in the contest. Kevin Millar's two-run home run in the second gave Florida an early lead. The Mets drew even with two runs in the sixth, but Millar put the Marlins back in front with an RBI single in the bottom of the inning. New York tied it up again in the top of the seventh on Edgardo Alfonzo's RBI single.

Millar finished with three hits in the win for Florida while Alfonzo and Roger Cedeño each added two hits for the Mets. Antonio Alfonseca was able to strand a pair of runners in the top of the 10th to earn the win for the Marlins.

During his time as a big leaguer, Kotsay finished with 174 home runs, but never hit more than 17 in any season. The bomb to beat the Mets wouldn't be the only walk-off homer of Kotsay's career, but it would be the first. It came on this day a quarter-century ago. 

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