25-year Marliniversary: Fish sweep Giants with three straight walk-offs

In late June, the Miami Marlins found some magic against the St Louis Cardinals and Seattle Mariners, putting together three straight walk-off wins.

In mid-August 1999, the Florida Marlins did likewise by completing a three-game sweep of the San Francisco Giants. The Marlins won all three games in walk-off fashion, with the final of those wins coming on this day 25 years ago.

Although it wasn't a season to remember, Florida was feeling good about itself entering the series, coming off a sweep of the Colorado Rockies at home, allowing just one run in each of the three games. They would continue their winning ways against the Giants.

In the series opener on Aug. 9, the Marlins overcame a 4-0 deficit in the eighth inning for a 5-4 win. Mike Lowell tied the contest in the eighth with a two-out grand slam off John Johnstone. After Jesús Sánchez worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the ninth for Florida, the Marlins wasted no time threatening in the bottom half. Preston Wilson doubled and Luis Castillo laid down a bunt single off Johnstone, then utility man Dave Berg came through with a walk-off single against former Florida closer Robb Nen.

Over the next two days, the Marlins would need extra innings.

On Aug. 10, the Giants forced extras by drawing even against Florida closer Antonio Alfonseca on an RBI single by Bill Mueller in the top of the ninth to even the game, 7-7. After a perfect inning from Alfonseca in the 10th and two scoreless frames from Brian Edmondson, Berg again delivered the walk-off single. After Danny Bautista and Castillo came up with back-to-back one-out singles, Berg ended the game with a line drive into the left-center field gap off San Francisco’s Felix Rodriguez as Florida prevailed, 8-7.

On Aug. 11, the Marlins needed 10 innings to complete the sweep with a 6-5 victory. Florida trailed 5-1 entering the bottom of the sixth before drawing to within one on a three-run Lowell homer. Down 5-4 in the ninth, Florida forced extras with an unearned run off Nen on a two-out RBI single from outfielder Todd Dunwoody. Lowell would end the game and the series an inning later with a walk-off single down the third-base line against Nen to score Chris Clapinski.

The three victories extended Florida’s winning streak to six at the time; it ultimately ended at a season-high-tying seven games with a loss to the San Diego Padres on Aug. 14.

The thrilling sweep of the Giants marked the first time in Marlins history that the club had notched walk-off wins in three straight days or in three straight games. That series came to an end on this day a quarter-century ago.