20-year Marliniversary: Jacobs' 2-run walk-off hit completes Fish comeback vs. Cubs

[Mike Ferguson]

The 2006 Florida Marlins didn’t make the postseason, but with a rebuilding team full of rookies, they did exceed all expectations.

Things started rough for the Marlins, but by the latter parts of the year, they stood in the thick of the National League Wild Card race. On this day 20 years ago, Florida rallied for a 5-4 win over the Chicago Cubs, courtesy of a Mike Jacobs two-run walk-off single.

The Marlins trailed 4-3 and were down to their last three outs at Dolphins Stadium on May 23, 2006 as the Cubs turned to a right-hander familiar to baseball fans in South Florida: Ryan Dempster. Needing a jumpstart, Florida found one in pinch hitter Wes Helms, who went back up the middle for a single on Dempster’s first pitch of the evening to get the scoring started.

After Hanley Ramírez worked a seven-pitch walk to put two on with nobody out in the bottom of the ninth inning, Dan Uggla’s sacrifice bunt put two runners into scoring position. Miguel Cabrera was intentionally walked to load the bases. Following a forceout at the plate off the bat of Josh Willingham, Dempster was one out away from a save.

Standing in Chicago’s way was Jacobs. On a 1-1 pitch from Dempster, Jacobs lined one deep to centerfield, well past former Marlins World Series champion Juan Pierre. His shot one-hopped the wall, allowing Ramírez and Cabrera to score easily for a walk-off win.

Prior to Jacobs’ heroics, the Marlins never led. Ronny Cedeño and Cubs starting pitcher Kerry Wood hit back-to-back RBI singles in the second inning to give Chicago an early 2-0 lead. Catcher Michael Barrett extended it to 3-0 with a solo homer off Marlins starter Scott Olsen in the third.

After Florida got on the board with a Cabrera

sacrifice fly in the third, Matt Murton led off the Chicago fourth with a solo blast to give the Cubs a 4-1 lead. Cabrera’s two-run home run in the fifth inning cut the deficit to 4-3.

Following an 11-31 start, the thrilling comeback win gave Florida consecutive wins over the Cubs and clinched the three-game series. The Marlins would go on to become the first team in baseball history to get to .500 after falling 20 games under before a 78-84 finish under manager Joe Girardi. Their first of seven walk-off wins from that campaign came courtesy of Jacobs and on this day two decades ago.

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