30-year Marliniversary: Marlins use 6-run 8th to top Cardinals for franchise record 9th straight win

[Mike Ferguson]

The Florida/Miami Marlins have won a franchise-record nine straight games on five separate occasions.

It was first achieved on this day 30 years ago. Against the St. Louis Cardinals at Joe Robbie Stadium on May 14, 1996, the Florida Marlins used a six-run eighth to break the tie and cruise to victory, 11-5.

The Marlins had taken a 5-4 lead with three runs in the bottom of the seventh. In the top of the eighth, however, Ray Lankford drew the Cardinals even with a solo home run off Florida’s Terry Mathews.

Jeff Parrett remained on the hill for St. Louis in the bottom of the inning. After getting Jeff Conine to line out to open the inning, Parrett issued three straight walks to load the bases and end his night.

The Cardinals turned to Rick Honeycutt, but the left-hander fared no better in getting outs. Joe Orsulak rolled Honeycutt’s second pitch of the night up the middle for a two-run single. Devon White followed with an RBI double on the seventh pitch of the at-bat to extend the lead to 8-5.

Alex Arias followed with an RBI single of his own to make it 9-5 before Greg Colbrunn was safe on a fielder’s choice to extend the lead to 10-5. Conine made two of the three outs in the inning for Florida, but his second plated White to cap the scoring.

Yorkis Pérez retired the Cardinals in order in the ninth to end the contest and run Florida’s winning streak to nine. White and Arias each finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Colbrunn went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Lankford and Ozzie Smith each had two hits for St. Louis.

With the victory, Florida improved to 20-21 but missed the opportunity to get to .500 for the first time that season as it fell to the Cardinals the following day, 6-0. The Marlins would briefly get over .500 in 1996 before finishing 80-82 – their best season ever at the time.

Although they’ve never hit double digits, the Marlins also won nine straight games in 2004, twice in 2006 and in 2008. It was first achieved, thanks in part to a six-run eighth inning, on this day three decades ago.

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