Mike Ferguson

Thirty years ago, the Marlins erased a late lead to win in 10 innings. In just their second year as a franchise, the Florida Marlins finished 51-64 during the strike-shortened 1994 season. However, they had their fair share of thrilling wins, going 5-1 in extra innings. Their final extra-inning walk-off win from that campaign came on this day 30 years ago. After tying the game with three runs in the eighth inning, Greg Colbrunn's RBI single in the 10th won it in a 4-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. The Marlins had managed just three hits off Cincinnati starter John Roper as they came to bat in the bottom of the eighth at Joe Robbie Stadium on July 6, 1994. Down 3-0, back-to-back singles from Kurt Abbott and Bret Barberie got the rally started. With runners at the corners and nobody out, Matías Carrillo got Florida on the board with a sacrifice fly. Following a single from Chuck Carr that put the tying run on base, Roper's night was done. Reliever Jeff Brantley was able to get Jerry Browne swinging for the second out, but the big bats in the Marlins order did their jobs. Gary Sheffield cut the deficit to 3-2 by flaring a single to center field that scored Barberie. One pitch later, Jeff Conine followed with a bloop to left that landed in front of the diving Kevin Mitchell for the game-tying single. Marlins relievers Yorkis Pérez and Robb Nen were able to stand runners in each of the next two innings. For Cincinnati, Héctor Carrasco worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning, but a one-out error by shortstop Barry Larkin in the bottom of the 10th would prove costly. After a passed ball by catcher Brian Dorsett allowed the speedy Carr to reach second, back-to-back walks to Browne and Sheffield loaded the bases. As the Reds turned to lefty Chuck McElroy, the Marlins countered with the right-handed-hitting Colbrunn. Colbrunn needed to see just one pitch as he smacked one past the drawn-in infield and into center field for the walk-off hit. Conine and Barberie each finished with two hits for Florida. Larkin, Reggie Sanders, Ed Taubensee and Tony Fernández each finished with two hits for Cincinnati, combining for eight of the Reds' nine knocks. Bret Boone plated two of the three Cincinnati runs with a fourth-inning double. In addition to the Marlins' five wins in extra innings in 1994, they also recorded seven walk-off wins. The last walk-off victory in extras from that season took place on this day three decades ago. View full article

Ten years ago, it was Casey McGehee and Jeff Baker who had the big hits for the Marlins. During an up-and-down 2014 season, July would end up being the best month of the year for the Miami Marlins. On this day 10 years ago, the Marlins picked up one of their most memorable wins of the month. Trailing by four runs early, the Marlins scored the game's final five runs. That included two in the ninth to stun the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-5. The Cardinals used three different pitchers in the top of the ninth on July 5, 2014. Fortunately for the Marlins, the final two were unable to get the big out. Randy Choate, a left-handed specialist and former Marlin, was able to get Christian Yelich to line out to open the inning, but Donovan Solano followed with a single off right-hander Trevor Rosenthal. Rosenthal was able to fan Giancarlo Stanton swinging, but Casey McGehee managed to tie things up by working a remarkable 11-pitch at-bat. With Solano getting a head start from first on a full count, McGehee laced one in the right-center field gap. Although it went as a single, Solano was able to score from first before McGehee advanced to second on the throw home. With the score tied 5-5, St. Louis turned to lefty Sam Freeman. The Marlins countered by inserting Jeff Baker to pinch hit. It turned out to be the right call as Baker lined the go-ahead RBI single to left to give the Marlins their first lead since the top of the first. Steve Cishek faced the minimum in the ninth to pick up the save, getting Yadier Molina to ground into the game-ending double play. It was McGehee who got the scoring started in the first with an RBI single, but Molina answered with one of his own in the bottom of the inning. Allen Craig and Jhonny Peralta each homered for the Cardinals during a four-run fourth inning. The Marlins closed to within a run in the sixth on a Yelich three-run home run. McGehee and Solano each had three hits for the Marlins. Yelich and catcher Jeff Mathis each added two hits. Yelich scored twice in the victory. Molina and Craig had two hits apiece for the Cardinals. With the game-tying RBI and the go-ahead run, McGehee's afternoon would serve as one of atonement. The day prior, he grounded into a game-ending double play with the bases loaded in a 3-2 loss to the Cardinals. McGehee went from goat to hero on this day one decade ago. View full article

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. 8ulcdc_1.mp4 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. View full article

Down five runs, the Miami Marlins went ahead for good with six runs in the seventh on this day five years ago. The Miami Marlins didn't do a whole lot of winning during their 105-loss campaign in 2019, but there were some memorable wins along the way. That included a pair of memorable comebacks against the Philadelphia Phillies. One of those came on this day five years ago. Trailing 6-1 in the bottom of the sixth, the Marlins scored eight unanswered runs to end the contest for a 9-6 victory. For the first five innings at Marlins Park on June 29, 2019, a first-inning RBI single from Garrett Cooper had accounted for all the Miami offense against Philadelphia starter Zach Eflin. Six pitches into the bottom of the sixth, a single from Brian Anderson and a two-run blast from Neil Walker cut the deficit to 6-3. With Eflin's quality start over, the Marlins went ahead for good with six runs in the bottom of the seventh. The rally started against Phillies reliever Juan Nicasio. After a single from Miguel Rojas and a double from Harold Ramírez—both on the first pitch from Nicasio—put runners in scoring position, Cooper's RBI groundout cut the lead to two. A four-pitch walk to Anderson ended Nicasio's night. Adam Morgan wouldn't fare much better for the Phillies. After Walker singled on an 0-2 pitch to cut the deficit to one, Starlin Castro's RBI double to center field tied things up. Two pitches later. JT Riddle gave the Marlins their first lead with a two-run double to right. Yadiel Rivera would cap the big inning with an RBI single as the Marlins sent 10 men to the plate in the inning. Maikel Franco singled to open the top of the eighth, but he would serve as the only Phillies baserunner the rest of the way. Jarlín García worked a scoreless seventh to pick up the win. Sergio Romo retired the Phillies in order in the ninth to earn the save. As a team, the Marlins finished with 15 hits with five different Marlins having multi-hit games. Ramírez finished with three hits while Walker, Rojas, Cooper and Castro each added two. Ramírez, Anderson and Walker each scored twice. Rhys Hoskins homered for Philadelphia in the loss. June would serve as the only winning month for the Marlins during the 2019 season. Their two biggest comebacks from that year, however, both came against the Phillies. Miami would erase a 7-0 deficit to beat the Phillies 19-11 on Aug. 23. The first big comeback against Philadelphia came on this day five years ago. View full article

Ten years ago, Marcell Ozuna made perhaps his most memorable throw as a member of the Marlins. Although Marcell Ozuna has become a bit of a villain among the baseball faithful in South Florida, his time as a member of the Miami Marlins was certainly productive. In more than four years with the Marlins, Ozuna hit 96 home runs, played in two All-Star games, won a Silver Slugger Award and a Gold Glove. His rocket for an arm made him tough to run on in left field and on this day 10 years ago, he made perhaps his most memorable throw as a member of the Marlins. At 36-36, the Marlins were seeking to get over .500 as they hosted the New York Mets at Marlins Park on June 20, 2014. The Marlins enjoyed a 3-0 lead. An RBI groundout by Adeiny Hechavarría in the first inning put Miami on the board. The Marlins added two runs in the seventh on an errant throw by New York catcher Anthony Recker and an RBI double by Hechavarria. Then in the top of the eighth, David Wright singled home the first Mets run. Eric Campbell followed that up with his own RBI single, which would’ve tied the game had Ozuna not gunned down Wright at home plate. Not out of the woods yet, though, the Mets threatened in the ninth against Miami closer Steve Cishek. The Marlins led 3-2 entering the final inning, but after a double and a sacrifice bunt, outfielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis stood at third base with just one out. Chris Young lifted a 3-2 Cishek pitch to left field, which appeared to be plenty deep enough to score the tying run. Once again, testing Ozuna’s arm proved to be unwise. He was able to catch the ball with a head of steam and fire a frozen rope to home plate. The throw got there on the fly to Miami catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who tagged Nieuwenhuis for the out at the plate to end the contest. Ozuna’s throw not only preserved the win for the Marlins, but for starting pitcher Henderson Álvarez, who allowed seven hits and struck out five in 6 1⁄3 innings of work. Sharing an outfield with future National League MVPs Stanton and Christian Yelich, Ozuna’s value may have been sometimes overlooked. The throw from Ozuna on June 20, 2014 may have been his most memorable defensive memory during his tenure in South Florida and it came on this day one decade ago. View full article

On this day 30 years ago, Charlie Hough tossed a gem for his final big-league win. The man who threw the first pitch in Florida/Miami Marlins history remains the oldest player ever to play for the franchise. Charlie Hough, at the age of 45, helped a young franchise in South Florida get off the ground. On this day 30 years ago, the veteran Hough proved that there was still a place for a proud, old man in a young man's game. Hough tossed a five-hit shutout to pick up the final win of his 25-year Major League Baseball career as the Florida Marlins blanked the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-0. It did take long to realize that the 46-year-old Hough had his knuckleball moving at Busch Stadium on June 14, 1994. Hough got off to a strong start by striking out the side in the St. Louis first, including Gregg Jeffries on just three pitches. With the help of a great throw by catcher Rob Tingley to get Brian Jordan trying to steal at second, Hough faced the minimum through three innings. In the fourth, Florida gave the veteran knuckleballer a lead he could work with. After Gary Sheffield doubled home Jerry Browne for the game's first run, Matías Carrillo singled in Sheffield to push the Florida lead to 2-0. St. Louis threatened in the bottom of the inning, but Hough was able to strand a pair of runners with back-to-back popouts. Hough worked a 1-2-3 fifth before stranding two more runners in the sixth. In the top of the seventh, the Marlins blew things open with five straight hits. Following four straight singles, including an RBI knock from Barberie, to open the frame, Kurt Abbott delivered the big blow by belting a 3-1 fastball into the left-field stands for a grand slam—his second slam in 10 days. The Cardinals managed just two singles over the final three innings and didn't have another runner reach scoring position. Hough closed the complete-game shutout by working a 1-2-3 ninth. asset_2500K.mp4 Hough finished the five-hitter with nine strikeouts and just one walk on 127 pitches. With the victory, Hough improved to 5-4 on the season, but would drop his final five decisions during the strike-shortened campaign. Throughout the course of his lengthy career, Hough finished with 216 wins, 216 losses, and 13 career shutouts. The last of those came at 46 years old and as a member of a second-year franchise. It served as his final career win on this day three decades ago. View full article

30 years ago, Bret Barberie came through in the clutch with the most exciting play in baseball. An original member of the franchise, Bret Barberie is known for collecting the first hit in Florida/Miami Marlins history. On this day 30 years ago, he accomplished another Marlins first. Visiting the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on June 13, 1994 in just their second year as a franchise, the Florida Marlins entered the top of the ninth inning trailing 1-0. Barberie led off the inning, and with the fifth pitch he saw from St. Louis closer Mike Pérez, Barberie hammered the ball to right-center field. Outfielders Mark Whiten and Ray Lankford converged to make the play, but collided. The ball bounced off the wall and rolled into center field. By the time second baseman Geronimo Peña was able to come up with it, Barberie had made his way all the way around to home plate. Barberie would slide in easily, notching the first inside-the-park home run in Marlins history. His “solo shot” tied the score at one apiece. The inside-the-park home run served as Barberie’s only official at-bat of the evening, although he reached base safely in each of his other three plate appearances with two walks and a hit by pitch. The hit also kept Marlins starting pitcher Pat Rapp from taking the loss after allowing just a run on four hits in eight innings of work. Unfortunately for Barberie, it wasn’t enough to get Florida over the hump. The Cardinals won the game in walk-off fashion when catcher Tom Pagnozzi singled home the winning run off reliever Robb Nen in the bottom half of the inning. Nevertheless, Barberie will always hold the distinction of being the first member of the Marlins franchise to record an inside-the-park home run. That moment happened on this day three decades ago. View full article

Jordan Yamamoto appeared to have a very bright future on this day five years ago. Still talked about with sensitivity in South Florida, the trade that sent Christian Yelich from the Miami Marlins to the Milwaukee Brewers never went quite as many had hoped. For one of the players involved in that trade, however, things started quite well. On this day five years ago, Jordan Yamamoto shined in his Major League Baseball debut. The right-hander from Hawaii threw seven incredible innings on the mound and drove in a run at the plate as Miami blanked the St. Louis Cardinals, 9-0. In his seven shutout frames at Marlins Park on June 12, 2019, Yamamoto allowed just three hits and two walks while striking out five. He needed just 32 pitches to get through his first three innings, allowing just one walk. Offensively, the Marlins didn't waste a lot of time staking the rookie to an early lead. After Brian Anderson drove in the game's first run with an RBI single in the first, Garrett Cooper's second grand slam in less than a month pushed the advantage to 5-0. In the fourth, however, St. Louis looked as though it would make things interesting. A double from Paul DeJong and a single from Paul Goldschmidt put runners on the corners with nobody out. Having to work around traffic for the first time, Yamamoto was able to get Marcell Ozuna to fly out to shallow left before Yadier Molina grounded into an inning-ending double play. In the fifth, Yamamoto was able to erase a lead-off single by Kolten Wong by getting Dexter Fowler to ground into another double play. A walk to Molina in the seventh would serve as the final baserunner of the night for the Cardinals against Yamamoto. While the St. Louis bats were stifled, the Marlins continued to tack on. Yamamoto helped himself by squeezing home Miguel Rojas in the bottom of the sixth. Curtis Granderson capped the scoring with a three-run home run in the eighth. d56e1d22-fa7a4133-80e3559e-CSVM-DIAMONDTMP-asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4 Though Yamamoto stole the show on the mound, Cooper had three hits at the plate. Anderson and Rojas each added two. Miles Mikolas took the loss for St. Louis. As a rookie in 2019, Yamamoto had the look of a future star, winning his first four decisions. Unfortunately, he dropped his final five and has just one win since. That came in 2021 as a member of the New York Mets—the last time he pitched in the big leagues. Although Yamamoto's career never flourished as the Marlins would have hoped, he gave the fans of South Florida a memorable debut. It came on this day five years ago. View full article

On this date 15 years ago, the Marlins rallied back from a three-run deficit, with game-clinching fireworks courtesy of Jeremy Hermida. There seemed to be something about the St. Louis Cardinals that brought out the best in former Florida Marlins outfielder Jeremy Hermida. Debuting against St. Louis in 2005, Hermida became the first player in baseball history to hit a pinch-hit grand slam in his first career at-bat. And on this day 15 years ago at Land Shark Stadium, Hermida sent the Cardinals home with a walk-off home run. Five of the game’s first six runs had come in the third inning. The Cardinals got to Florida starter Josh Johnson with all three runs of their runs in the frame. Chris Duncan’s RBI single got the scoring started for St. Louis before Rick Ankiel delivered a two-run double to center field. Ankiel was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple. The Marlins were able to answer with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. Emilio Bonifacio got Florida on the board with a two-run double off St. Louis starter Chris Carpenter. Bonifacio would tie the game in the fifth with an infield RBI single. Bonifacio was one of three Marlins to record two hits that night, along with Hermida and outfielder Cody Ross. Still 3-3 entering the ninth, Florida closer Matt Lindstrom worked around a pair of singles to keep the Cards off the scoreboard. Hermida was set to lead off the bottom of the ninth. It would take just three pitches from St. Louis reliever Jason Motte to end the contest. On a 1-1 breaking ball from Motte, Hermida blasted a no-doubter over the right field wall. The home run was his sixth of the year and delivered Florida in a 4-3 walk-off victory. Hermida’s blast would give the Marlins their fourth of 10 walk-off wins during an 87-win campaign in 2009. It happened on this day 15 years ago. View full article

On this day 20 years ago, the Marlins used a pair of ninth-inning homers to rally in Cleveland. Not quite as much was on the line as in October 1997, but on this day 20 years ago, the Florida Marlins found a way to break Cleveland baseball fans' hearts again. After Miguel Cabrera hit the game-tying blast in the ninth inning, Damion Easley put the Marlins ahead for good two batters later in a 7-5 victory over the Cleveland Guardians. Omar Vizquel's clutch two-out RBI single in the bottom of the eighth had given the Guardians a 5-4 lead as the Marlins came to bat in the top of the ninth at Jacobs Field on June 8, 2004. Florida was down to its last out as José Jiménez was able to retire Luis Castillo and Mike Lowell to open the inning. On an 0-1 fastball, Cabrera pounced and hammered Jiménez's offering down the left-field line. It just stayed fair, hitting well up the foul pole for the game-tying blast. With two outs, however, the Marlins were just getting started. After Jeff Conine worked a seven-pitch walk during an outstanding at-bat, Easley needed to see just one pitch to put Florida ahead for good. On a slider that stayed flat, Easley hammered it down the left-field line—also off the foul pole—for a two-run blast, giving the Marlins their first lead of the night. 6-8-04 marliniversary.mp4 Armando Benítez worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth to cap the victory. Nate Bump threw just 16 pitches, but picked up the win for the Marlins. The Guardians struck first with two runs in the first. After Abraham Núñez hit his only home run as a member of the Marlins in the third, an RBI groundout by Easley tied it in the fourth. Vizquel had his first go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the inning before Álex González tied things up once again with a solo home run in the sixth off Cleveland starter Cliff Lee. González finished with three hits in the win while Castillo and Easley added two hits each for Florida. Easley plated three runs in the win. In addition to two RBI hits from Vizquel catcher Víctor Martínez added three hits for the Guardians. Just as they did in the 1997 World Series, the Marlins took two of three from Cleveland at Jacobs Field. Florida took its first game back in Cleveland since Game 5 of the 1997 World Series in thrilling fashion on this day two decades ago. View full article

The Marlins rallied from a six-run deficit in the seventh to win in walk-off fashion 30 years ago today. In just their second year as a Major League Baseball franchise, the Florida Marlins held a winning record well into June during what would be a strike-shortened season. One of their most exhilarating wins from year No. 2 came on this day 30 years ago. Jesús Tavárez capped the comeback with a walk-off single in the ninth as the Marlins rallied from six runs down late to stun the Los Angeles Dodgers, 11-10. At the seventh-inning stretch at Joe Robbie Stadium on June 6, 1994, Florida found itself on the short end of a 9-3 score. Before the inning was over, the Marlins had drawn even. Dodgers knuckleballer Tom Candiotti looked to be in for a quick inning as he was able to retire Jerry Browne and Matías Carrillo to open the frame. Florida responded with seven straight hits. Jeff Conine's flared single to right was followed by an RBI double from Greg Colbrunn, which ended Candiotti's day. After an infield single from Benito Santiago on the second pitch from Darren Dreifort put runners on the corners, Mario Díaz doubled him home to cut the deficit to 9-6. Jim Gott got the call in the L.A. bullpen, but the right-hander failed to record an out as a Bret Barberie RBI double and a Dave Magadan RBI single cut the lead to 9-8. After Dreifort and Gott each failed to record an out, Al Osuna was able to get the Dodgers out of the inning, but not before giving up a game-tying triple to Chuck Carr. The 9-9 score would be short-lived as the Dodgers and Marlins each plated runs in the eighth. Cory Snyder grounded into a double play with the bases loaded to score a run in the top half of the inning before a fielder's choice off the bat of Santiago in the bottom half of the frame brought home Conine. Marlins reliever Willie Fraser was able to strand a pair of Dodgers in the ninth, giving the Marlins the chance to walk it off in the bottom of the inning. That's just what they did. Barberie struck out to start the home half of the inning, but back-to-back singles by Magadan and Carr set the stage for Tavárez. Pinch-hitting, Tavárez saw just one pitch that night but hammered it into the left-centerfield gap for the walk-off hit as Florida prevailed. Prior to the walk-off hit, the Marlins led briefly with two runs in the first. In the top of the second, Mike Piazza's 477-foot grand slam put the Dodgers in front. Raúl Mondesí, Garey Ingram and Tim Wallach would also each homer for the Dodgers. Although the Marlins failed to homer, they did finish with 20 hits as a team. Conine, Colbrunn and Díaz each finished with three. Carr, Brown, Santiago, and Barberie added two apiece in the win. Piazza and Wallach each had four-hit games for L.A. The victory capped what would be a season-long five-game winning streak for the Marlins. It came in dramatic fashion on this day three decades ago. View full article

The fifth inning was a hit parade at Miller Park five years ago. During the 2019 season, the Miami Marlins scored the second-fewest runs in all of baseball and the fewest in the National League. On this day five years ago, however, the club erupted for their biggest offensive inning ever. The Marlins already held a 4-0 lead as they came to bat against the Milwaukee Brewers in the top of the fifth inning at Miller Park on June 4, 2019. By the time the half-inning was over, Miami had touched home 11 times in an eventual 16-0 shutout. Home runs by Starlin Castro, Garrett Cooper, and Brian Anderson had propelled Miami to the early lead. During the 11-run fifth, however, the Marlins didn't leave the yard. Facing Brewers starter Taylor Williams, Garrett Cooper opened the inning with a single. Following a walk to Anderson, Castro struck out. The next 10 men for Miami would reach. An RBI double by Harold Ramírez was followed by an intentional walk to JT Riddle. Jorge Alfaro's two-run single started a streak of five straight RBI hits for Miami. Starting pitcher Pablo López doubled while Miguel Rojas, Curtis Granderson and Cooper singled during the stretch. After an error by Milwaukee third baseman Travis Shaw plated the eighth run of the inning, Castro atoned for his strikeout with an RBI double. Ramírez followed with an RBI groundout before Riddle singled home a run to cap the 11-run, nine-hit inning. For good measure, Austin Dean doubled home a run in the eighth to cap the scoring. As a team, the Marlins finished with 19 hits. Cooper went 4-for-5 with four runs scored. Rojas added three hits. Dean, Castro, Ramirez and Alfaro each had two. wqslys.mp4 While the offense stole the show, López shined on the mound, yielding just three hits in six shutout innings while fanning seven. Shaw and former Marlins star Christian Yelich each had two of the six hits for the Brewers. The 16 runs would serve as a season-high for the Marlins and the most in a game since putting up a franchise record 22 runs in a July 2017 victory over the Texas Rangers. The bulk of the damage came during the team-record 11-run fifth on this day five years ago. View full article

Cliff Floyd may have been the first player in baseball history to have a home run overturned by replay. Major League Baseball officially added instant replay reviews in 2008. There have been some tweaks since then. So you may be surprised to learn that, exactly 25 years ago, the Florida Marlins were the first victims of a call being overturned via MLB instant replay. The Marlins were struggling at 16-34 as they got set to host the St. Louis Cardinals in the first game of a four-game set on May 31, 1999. St. Louis, at 24-24, was looking to get back over .500 and would do so with the help of an unlikely source: a television camera. The Cardinals led 4-1 in the bottom of the fifth when Florida outfielder Cliff Floyd hammered a ball to left field off Kent Bottenfield. It looked as though Floyd had just driven in both himself and teammate Álex González to make it a one-run game. Floyd’s shot was originally ruled a double by second-base umpire Greg Gibson. However, crew chief Frank Pulli saw it differently and gave the home run sign...at least initially. Pulli consulted a television camera near the Florida dugout and spent several minutes looking at replays. He then overturned his own call, making Floyd’s hit a RBI double (just as Gibson had originally called it). Floyd would end the inning being stranded at third base as the Cardinals eventually prevailed, 5-2. The only actual home runs in the game came from St. Louis shortstop and former Marlins World Series hero Edgar Rentería, who left the yard twice. 5-31-99 cliff floyd replay review hr.mp4 Mark McGwire and Ray Lankford each recorded RBI doubles for the Cardinals. Mike Lowell had the only other RBI hit for the Marlins with a single in the fourth. The Marlins would play the final four innings under protest. It was later denied, although National League President Len Coleman conceded that replay should not have been used in that case. Since instant replay was implemented and expanded in Major League Baseball, there have certainly been gripes here and there. But long before Marlins fans had Zack Cozart’s inexplicable tying “run” to complain about it, there was Cliff Floyd’s home run that wasn’t. It came on this day a quarter-century ago. View full article