5-year Marliniversary: Marlins tie biggest comeback in team history

[Mike Ferguson]

On this day five years ago, a seven-run deficit proved to be small potatoes for the Miami Marlins as they set a Marlins Park record for runs scored.

During the 2019 season, the Miami Marlins scored the fewest runs in the National League. On this day five years ago, however, the Miami lineup ran like a well-oiled machine.

Wearing all white uniforms as part of Players' Weekend, the Marlins washed away any offensive struggles they had coming in. Miami tied a franchise record for largest comeback and set a Marlins Park record for runs scored as it erased a seven-run deficit to down the Philadelphia Phillies, 19-11.

A three-run triple from Scott Kingery and a two-run double from Corey Dickerson helped Philadelphia race to a 7-0 lead in the third inning on Aug. 23, 2019. Before the fourth started, however, the contest was all tied up.

Brian Anderson got Miami on the board by "taking one for the team" with the bases loaded in the bottom of the third. Following run-scoring singles from Garrett Cooper and Harold Ramírez, who singled home two, that cut the lead to 7-4, Isan Díaz belted a three-run home run on the seventh pitch of his at-bat to tie things up.

That turned out to be short-lived as Philadelphia used RBI singles from Maikel Franco and Adam Haseley to go back in front, 9-7.

Beginning with a five-run fifth, the Marlins went ahead for good with 12 unanswered runs. Following an error by Phillies third baseman Brad Miller in the bottom of the fifth that allowed two runs to score, Miami used a two-run double from Neil Walker to go in front to stay. With three runs in the sixth and four more in the eighth, the Marlins turned the contest into a rout. Starlin Castro belted a two-run homer in the sixth before he and Jon Berti went back-to-back with blasts in the eighth.

Despite not starting the contest, Castro finished with three runs scored and five RBIs. Berti, Walker, Ramírez and catcher Jorge Alfaro each had three hits in the victory. Miami finished with 19 knocks as a team. Jean Segura finished with three hits and two runs scored for Philadelphia in the loss.

The seven-run comeback tied a franchise record, previously done in Boston in 2003 and Arizona in 2009, and served as the largest comeback at home. With a stadium-record 19 Miami runs and 30 total runs, the contest served as the highest-scoring game at Marlins Park (now loanDepot park). It came on this day five years ago. 

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