Mike Ferguson

It was during the 1996 season that the Florida Marlins hit the 80-win mark for the first time. The season, however, didn't start off great. Florida went just 4-11 over its first 15 games, but after avoiding the three-game sweep at the hand of the Atlanta Braves, the Marlins started to turn things around with a three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers. That series started on this day 30 years ago. Scoreless through seven and a half innings at Joe Robbie Stadium on April 19, 1996, the Marlin bats finally woke up. Florida scored five times with two outs in the eighth to top the Dodgers, 5-0. For seven innings, Los Angeles' Ismael Valdez and Florida's Pat Rapp had traded zeroes. After Jay Powell worked around a two-out walk for Florida in the top of the eighth, the Marlins finally got a crack at the Dodgers' bullpen. Against Darren Hall, Joe Orsulak started the eighth with a single, but the right-hander responded by retiring a couple of big bats. After Gary Sheffield popped out, Hall fanned Jeff Conine. The third out, however, proved to be elusive. Terry Pendleton followed with a single to right field, but a misplay by Dodgers outfielder Raúl Mondesí allowed the ball to roll all the way to the wall and for pinch runner Jesús Tavárez to score. That's all Florida would need, but not all it would get. Greg Colbrunn followed with an RBI double to extend the lead to 2-0. After Charles Johnson walked, Kurt Abbott belted Hall's 1-0 pitch over the left-field wall for a three-run home run to turn what had been a scoreless game into a romp. Hall was able to get Powell, the opposing reliever, to fly out but the damage was done. Robb Nen retired the top of the Dodgers' lineup in order to seal the win as the Marlins' staff hurled a three-hit shutout. Pendleton, Colbrunn and Abbott each finished with two of the 10 Florida hits. The Marlins went on to complete the three-game sweep and closed April by winning seven of 12. The 5-0 victory over the Dodgers was one of three shutouts from the month. It came on this day three decades ago. View full article

During the 2021 season, the Miami Marlins were involved in 20 games that ended in walk-off fashion. The Fish were 8-12 in those contests. The first win came on this day five years ago. In a contest in which the Marlins trailed in both the ninth and 10th innings, catcher Jorge Alfaro played the role of hero. His two-run double capped the comeback as Miami rallied for a 7-6 win over the San Francisco Giants. Through six innings at loanDepot Park on April 17, 2021, the Marlins led 3-0. In the seventh, San Francisco was able to get to the Miami pitching staff for five runs. After Brandon Belt led off the top of the seventh with a solo home run off Miami starter Sandy Alcántara, Brandon Crawford singled home Evan Longoria to cut the deficit to 3-2 later in the inning. The Giants took their first lead two batters later when Austin Slater took lefty Richard Bleier deep for a three-run home run. Down 5-3, Miami right-hander Zach Pop was able to keep the deficit at two by striking out the side in the top of the ninth. As the contest shifted to the bottom of the ninth, the Giants turned to closer Jake McGee. Miami opened the inning with three straight singles from Jazz Chisholm Jr., Miguel Rojas and Alfaro to cut the deficit to 5-4. McGee was able to settle in and induce consecutive popouts off the bats of Jon Berti and Corey Dickerson. With the Marlins down to their last out, Starling Marte ripped the first pitch he saw from McGee into left field for the game-tying single. A walk loaded the bases, but McGee was able to get the game to extra innings. In the top of the 10th, San Francisco regained the lead on an RBI double by Belt off Yimi García. With a placed runner at second base to begin the bottom of the 10th inning, former Marlins lefty Jarlín García was able to strike out Brian Anderson to start the frame. Chisholm followed by drawing a walk, but after Chad Wallach flied out, the game was left in the hands of Alfaro with two on. After taking the first pitch for a ball, Alfaro ripped García’s breaking pitch to left field. It rolled all the way to the wall as both runners scored standing up for a walk-off two-run double to complete the comeback. On a night where the Marlins had 15 hits, Alfaro was one of five Miami players to finish with multi-hit games, going 2-for-6 with three RBIs. Dickerson finished 4-for-6 with a run scored. Chisholm and Marte each scored twice. Belt, Crawford and former Marlins infielder Donovan Solano each had two of the 10 hits for the Giants. During his Major League Baseball career, Alfaro would record walk-off hits both for and against the Marlins. Two of those came during his final season with the club in 2021. The first of the two and the first walk-off win of Miami’s 2021 campaign came on this day five years ago. View full article

Over his 15-year career in Major League Baseball, third baseman Terry Pendleton accomplished many things. An All-Star, batting champion, MVP and three-time Gold Glove winner, Pendleton collected nearly 1,900 hits and helped the St. Louis Cardinals win the 1987 World Series. Not known for his power, Pendleton hit 140 career home runs, which included three walk-offs. The last of those came on this day 30 years as a member of the Florida Marlins. Through nine innings at Joe Robbie Stadium on April 6, 1996, the Marlins and San Francisco Giants had played to a scoreless tie. After Kevin Brown gave Florida eight scoreless innings on the mound, Robb Nen added two more out of the bullpen, striking out four. For San Francisco, starter Mark Leiter threw nine scoreless frames. As the Giants went to the bullpen, Mark Dewey failed to record an out. After working the count to 2-2, the switch-hitting Pendleton went the other way for a solo walk-off blast to give the Marlins a 1-0 victory. Pendleton and catcher Charles Johnson each had two of the five hits for Florida. Shawon Dunston had two hits for San Francisco. Brown was able to scatter seven hits on the mound before Nen tossed consecutive 1-2-3 innings to pick up the win. In parts of two seasons with the Marlins, Pendleton hit .273 with 21 home runs and 136 RBIs. His lone walk-off blast in teal and the last of his career came on this day three decades ago. View full article

An All-Star for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2010, catcher John Buck signed with the Florida Marlins prior to the start of the 2011 season. On this day 15 years ago, Buck made his presence felt in his Marlins debut. The Marlins and New York Mets were scoreless through three and a half innings on opening day at Sun Life Stadium on April 1, 2011. That changed with one swing of the bat from Buck as the Marlins went on to collect a 6-2 victory. The Marlins had gone in order in the second and third innings against New York starter Mike Pelfrey, but after Hanley Ramírez flew out to open the bottom of the fourth, walks to Giancarlo Stanton and Logan Morris bookended a Gaby Sánchez double. That set the stage for Buck. Buck worked an eight-pitch at-bat in the second before flying out. In the fourth, Buck again saw eight Pelfrey pitches. This time, however, he was able to get the good part of the bat onto the ball, depositing a grand slam into the right-center field seats. Buck’s blast broke a scoreless tie and put the Marlins ahead for good. After Sánchez extended the lead with an RBI single in the fifth, the Mets finally got to Florida starter Josh Johnson, who took a no-hitter into the seventh, with a pair of runs. New York brought the tying run to the plate, but reliever Mike Dunn was able to fan Scott Hairston to end the threat. A solo blast from Morrison to lead off the bottom of the eight capped the scoring. Juan Carlos Oviedo, then known as Leo Nuñez, retired the Mets in order to seal the victory. Johnson picked up the win, allowing two runs on just three hits in 6 ⅔ innings. Buck and Sánchez each had two of Florida’s 10 hits. Buck never equaled his 2010 totals when he hit .281 with 20 home runs and 66 RBIs but was serviceable in his two seasons with the Marlins. Buck hit just .227 in 2011, but his 16 home runs and 57 RBIs were the most for a Florida catcher in four years. He began his stay in South Florida with a bang on this day 15 years ago. View full article

Al Leiter spent just parts of three total seasons with the Florida Marlins over two stints, but when it comes to pitching, he holds a notable franchise first and started perhaps the biggest game in club history. A native of New Jersey born on Oct. 23, 1965, Leiter turns 60 years old today. He was 30 when he joined the Marlins. Leiter spent his first nine seasons in Major League Baseball with the New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays. A two-time World Series champion with Toronto in 1992 and 1993, Leiter signed as a free agent with the Marlins prior to the 1996 season—a season that would serve as his best in the big leagues. For the first time in his career, Leiter was an All-Star in 1996, becoming the first left-handed pitcher to represent the Marlins in the Midsummer Classic. For the season, Leiter set a career-high for wins, going 16-12 with a 2.93 ERA in a career-best 215 ⅓ innings pitched. That season, Leiter led baseball with 119 walks but he also allowed the fewest hits per nine innings (6.4). The lasting moment from Leiter's first season in South Florida came on May 12 when he tossed the first no-hitter in Marlins history in Florida's 11-0 win over the Colorado Rockies. 6e7icw_1.mp4 Leiter's 1997 season wasn't as good statistically as he finished 11-9 with a 4.34 ERA. Still, Leiter helped the Marlins make the postseason for the first time and in Game 7 of the World Series against the Cleveland Guardians at Pro Player Stadium, it was Leiter who got the ball. Although the lefty from New Jersey didn't factor in the decision, he put forward a quality start, allowing just two runs on four hits in six innings while striking out seven. Florida was able to erase an early two-run deficit to down Cleveland 3-2 in 11 innings. For the third time in his career, Leiter was a World Series champion. After spending parts of his first three seasons with the Yankees, Leiter was sent back to the "Big Apple" following the 1997 season. In a deal that involved pitchers A.J. Burnett and Jesús Sánchez. Leiter was traded to the New York Mets where he'd spend seven seasons. In 2000, he was an All-Star for the second time and pitched for a third team in the World Series as the Mets fell to the Yankees in five games in the famed "Subway Series." For Leiter, his final season would be something of a reunion tour. Prior to the start of the 2005 season, he again signed with the Marlins as a free agent. At 39 years old, Leiter struggled for Florida, going 3-7 with a 6.64 ERA. Leiter was traded back to the Yankees in the middle of the season and had the opportunity to pitch in the postseason for one final time. After not pitching in the postseason during his first stint with the Bronx Bombers, Leiter appeared in four games in 2005 and went 1-0 as New York fell to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in five games in the American League Division Series. With a 30-28 career record and 4.07 ERA for the Marlins, Leiter remains 10th in franchise history with a .517 winning percentage (min. 50 decisions to qualify). The first Marlin to throw a no-hitter and the only member of the franchise to start on the mound in Game 7 of the World Series turns 60 years old today. View full article

During the then Florida Marlins' run to the 2003 World Series title, the Fish clinched their final two series at historic venues -- Wrigley Field and Yankee Stadium. It would be 17 years later before the now Miami Marlins returned to the playoffs, but that didn't stop them from once again using the "friendly confines" of Wrigley to send the Chicago Cubs home for the winter. On this day five years ago, the Marlins improved to 7-0 in playoff series. They swept the best-of-three National League Wild Card Series and advanced to the National League Division Series with a 2-0 win over the Cubs. The Marlins used a five-run seventh inning to take Game 1 two days prior by a 5-1 score. As they arrived for Game 2 on Oct. 2, 2020, the offense was again slow to get going. For the second straight game, Miami had been held scoreless through six innings. To that point, the Marlins had managed just two hits off Chicago starter Yu Darvish. Darvish opened the top of the seventh with two quick outs. Garrett Cooper followed with a bang to start a two-out rally. On a 2-2 pitch from Darvish, Cooper hammered one into the empty left-field stands for the go-ahead solo home run. Now with a 1-0 lead, Matt Joyce followed with a double that bounced off the glove of a diving Ian Happ. Following a walk to Miguel Rojas, Magneuris Sierra lined a breaking pitch into right field for an RBI single. Darvish's day was done, but so was the Miami damage. On the mound, the Marlins benefitted from five shutout innings from rookie starter Sixto Sánchez, who allowed just four hits and two walks while striking out six. Brad Boxberger, Richard Bleier, Yimi García and Brandon Kintzler combined to allow just one hit and two baserunners the rest of the way. After giving up a lead-off double to Jason Heyward in the bottom of the ninth, Kintzler settled in to strike out the side to collect the save. For the second game in a row, the seventh inning and the Miami pitching staff proved to be magical. The Marlins were swept by the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series to end their run of consecutive postseason series won. The sweep of the National League Central champions at Wrigley, however, remains the last playoff series won by the Marlins. It was clinched on this day five years ago. View full article

In 33 years as a franchise, only two members of the Florida/Miami Marlins franchise have ever led the National League in saves. The first saves title in franchise history wrapped up on this day 25 years ago. With 44 saves to his name, Antonio Alfonseca entered the final day of the 2000 regular season having wrapped up the outright saves title in Major League Baseball the night before. Alfonseca had two more than San Diego Padres closer (and former Marlin) Trevor Hoffman, as the Florida Marlins went for the sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies on Oct. 1, 2000. On the final day of the regular season, Alfonseca added one final save for good measure in a 7-5 victory for the Marlins. He needed 14 pitches to close things out. With a two-run lead, Alfonseca took the hill in the top of the ninth to face the heart of the Philadelphia order. Alfonseca started the inning by getting Bobby Abreu to pop out. After giving up a single to Pat Burrell, the Marlins closer shut Philadelphia down with back-to-back strikeouts of Travis Lee and Kevin Jordan on just seven total pitches. Alfonseca’s 45th save tied the Florida record set by Bryan Harvey in the inaugural season of 1993 and preserved the win for starter Ryan Dempster. Dempster allowed three runs in five innings of work and finished the year with a record of 14-10. All of the Florida offense came over two innings. After the Phillies pushed across two runs in the top of the first, the Marlins scored four times in the bottom half of the inning. After Preston Wilson’s two-run double tied the game, Mike Lowell and Mike Redmond added RBI singles. Following a run for Philadelphia in the top half of the inning, the Marlins added three more in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Lowell and a two-run home run by Derrek Lee. The Phillies pushed across two in the sixth to cap the scoring. As for Alfonseca, his club saves record would last four years before Armando Benitez recorded 47 saves in 2004. Benitez tied Jason Isringhausen of the St. Louis Cardinals for the National League lead in 2004. Alfonseca remains the only Marlins reliever to win the saves title outright. He wrapped up that campaign by tying a club record on this day a quarter-century ago. View full article

Due to the COVID pandemic, the 2020 Major League Baseball season featured just a 60-game regular season. The playoff field, however, was the largest it had ever been. After a 31-29 finish to the regular season, the Miami Marlins were part of that playoff field. On this day five years ago, Miami celebrated its first postseason appearance in 17 years with a 5-1 victory over the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series. As the contest moved to the seventh inning on Sept. 30, 2020, a solo home run in the fifth by Chicago's Ian Happ had accounted for all the scoring. After being held to two hits through six innings, the Miami bats finally got going against Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks. Hendricks was able to get Jon Berti to ground out to open the Miami seventh, but back-to-back singles by Miguel Rojas and Chad Wallach put the go-ahead run on base. One pitch later, the Marlins were ahead to stay. On the 106th and final pitch of the day from Hendricks, Marlins outfielder Corey Dickerson was able to take an 87 mph pitch on the outer third on the plate and go the other way into the empty left-field stands for a three-run home run. What had been a one-run deficit had become a two-run lead for Miami. Hendricks' day was done, but the Marlins' big inning wasn't. Starling Marte singled off Jeremy Jeffress before Jesús Aguilar belted his offering to right field to for a two-run shot to cap a five-run inning. On the mound, the Marlins got a stellar start from Sandy Alcantara, who allowed just a run on three hits and three walks in 6 ⅔ innings. Richard Bleier stranded a runner in the seventh before Yimi García and Brandon Kintzler each worked scoreless innings to seal the win. Marte and Aguilar each finished with two hits for the Marlins. Happ had two of the four hits for the Cubs in the loss. Miami would sweep the best-of-three series two days later to advance to the National League Division Series. Overall, the Marlins have 13 road playoff wins in their history. Five of those have come at historic Wrigley Field, including one on this day five years ago. View full article

One of the stars of a young franchise, Jeff Conine was affectionately given the title “Mr. Marlin” during the franchise’s early years. Conine was responsible for a lot of club firsts. An All-Star in 1994 and 1995, Conine would become the first player to drive in 100 runs in a season for the Florida Marlins. He hit that threshold on this day 30 years ago. During the 1993 season, Gary Sheffield finished with 100 RBIs, but 63 of those came as a member of the San Diego Padres before a midseason trade. Against the Montreal Expos at Joe Robbie Stadium on Sept. 27, 1995, Conine needed just two RBIs to hit 100. He doubled that total in a 9-3 win for Florida. It took Conine just two at-bats to reach 100. In the bottom of the first, Conine got the scoring started with an RBI double to score Chuck Carr. Conine would come around to score later in the inning on a two-run single by Greg Colbrunn. The bottom of the third inning is where Conine hit triple digits. After Kurt Abbott walked to lead off the inning, Conine took the second pitch he saw from Gabe White over the left center field wall. Conine had 101 RBIs on the year and the Marlins had a 5-0 lead. Florida pushed its lead to six before the inning was over on a Steve Decker RBI single, but Conine wasn’t done providing fireworks. Following an RBI single by Colbrunn in the seventh and Carr’s RBI double in the eighth, Conine stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth. Conine was unable to get his third hit of the evening, but a fly ball to left scored Jesus Tavarez. The Expos broke up the shutout with two outs in the ninth on a three-run home run off the bat of infielder Shane Andrews. Conine finished the night with two hits, two runs scored and four RBIs. Colbrunn was 3-for-4 with three RBIs in the win. Carr tallied two hits for Florida. Pat Rapp allowed just three hits and four walks in seven shutout innings to earn the win. Over 17 seasons in Major League Baseball, Conine tallied at least 95 RBIs in a season four times, but hit 100 just once. He hit that threshold and became the first player to tally 100 RBIs in a season as a member of the Marlins on this day three decades ago. View full article

The 2020 season was unlike any other in baseball history. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the shortened 60-game season didn't begin until July. On this day five years ago, the Miami Marlins guaranteed that they would be playing baseball in October. The Marlins clinched their first postseason berth in 17 years and third ever at an empty Yankee Stadium with a 4-3 win over the New York Yankees in 10 innings. Fittingly, New York was the place and the Yankees were the opponent that the Marlins had played their previous postseason game as they arrived on Sept. 25, 2020. Then the Florida Marlins famously closed out the 2003 World Series with a 2-0 win in Game 6 at the historic Yankee Stadium behind a stellar pitching performance from Josh Beckett. Coming in, the Marlins needed to win and have the Philadelphia Phillies fall to the Tampa Bay Rays to earn a postseason trip. For Miami, the offense came early as Garrett Cooper followed two-out walks to Jesús Aguilar and Brian Anderson by sending J.A. Happ's first pitch into the right-field stands for a three-run blast. The Marlins got a quality start on the mound from Sandy Alcantara, but unfortunately, the early 3-0 lead would not hold up. The Yankees got on the board in the fourth with a two-run double from Aaron Hicks. After an errant pickoff attempt by Miami reliever Yimi García, New York drew even in the eighth on an RBI single from Aaron Judge. The contest ultimately went to extra innings. After a sacrifice bunt and an error put runners on the corners in the top of the 10th, the Marlins regained the lead on a sacrifice fly Aguilar. The Yankees made things interesting in the bottom of the 10th when a pair of walks loaded the bases with one out. With the tying run at third and the winning run in scoring position, Miami closer Brandon Kintzler was able to get New York's DJ LeMahieu to bounce one toward the bag at second. Shortstop Miguel Rojas fielded it in stride, touched second base and threw on to first for the playoff-clinching out. The Marlins won despite just three hits. The Yankees finished with four errors in the loss. Brad Boxberger threw a scoreless ninth to earn the win for Miami. Judge and Gary Sánchez each had two hits for the Yankees in the loss. The win coupled with Tampa Bay's 6-4 victory over the Phillies put Miami in the playoffs for the first time since 2003. The Marlins would win the rubber game of the series at Yankee Stadium two days later to finish 31-29 -- their first winning season in 11 years. The franchise won World Series in 1997 and 2003 as the Florida Marlins. The Marlins returned to the playoffs in 2023. Their first postseason trip as the Miami Marlins was clinched on this day five years ago. View full article

The 2015 Miami Marlins won just 71 games, but eight of those came in walk-off fashion. Two of those walk-off wins came over the Philadelphia Phillies, including one on this day 10 years ago. In a contest in which Miami trailed in the 10th inning, it managed to draw even. In the 11th, Dee Strange-Gordon ended it with a walk-off double as the Marlins prevailed, 4-3. Prior to the 10th at Marlins Park on Sept. 23, 2015, Miami had never trailed. The Marlins drew first blood with a run in the second before pushing the advantage to 2-0 on a solo home run by Justin Bour in the fourth. Philadelphia got on the board in the fifth and tied the game on a wild pitch in the eighth. The Phillies finally took the lead in the top of the 10th when Freddy Galvis singled off Kyle Barraclough to chase home Brian Bogusevic. Up 3-2, Philadelphia turned to Ken Giles in the bottom of the inning, but he was unable to get the job done. Ichiro Suzuki and Strange-Gordon singled to open the inning. After Donovan Solano laid down a bunt, Miami drew even as Philadelphia catcher Carlos Ruiz's errant throw allowed the tying run to score. Miami had two on with nobody out, but could get nothing else as the contest went to the 11th. Brian Ellington needed just eight pitchers to retire the Phillies in order in the top of the inning. After Philadelphia's Jerome Williams induced a pair of flyouts to open the bottom of the frame, a 12th inning appeared inevitable. Instead, it was Miami's Miguel Rojas, who singled to start a two-out rally. After Suzuki walked, Strange-Gordon hammered Williams' 0-1 pitch into the right-center field gap. Rojas scored easily to complete the comeback. Strange-Gordon's walk-off double capped a three-hit night. Rojas and catcher J.T. Realmuto each added a pair of hits. Despite finishing 20 games under .500 in 2015, Miami did manage to place third in the National League East at 71-91. The Phillies finished last at 63-99. Head-to-head, the Marlins won nine of the 16 matchups against Philadelphia in 2015. That included their final walk-off win of the year. It came on this day a decade ago. View full article

Mention those who appeared in All-Star games for the Florida/Miami Marlins and the first name to come to mind probably isn’t Gaby Sanchez. Sanchez was Florida’s lone representative in 2011, but his best statistical season was actually the year prior. During what would be a career year for Sanchez, the rookie and University of Miami product had a number of big hits. One of those came on this day 15 years ago. On what would be the first game of a short two-game set against the New York Mets on Sept. 21, 2010, Sanchez delivered the big blow. His three-run home run in Florida’s final at-bat lifted the Marlins to a 5-2 win at Sun Life Stadium. The Mets had drawn even in the top of the eighth on a solo home run by David Wright with two outs. In the bottom half of the inning, New York reliever Pedro Feliciano retired Cameron Maybin and Logan Morrison for the first two outs of the inning. After that, Mets manager Jerry Manuel, a former Marlins bench coach, went to the bullpen. Against right-hander Elmer Dessens, Hanley Ramirez and Dan Uggla put together back-to-back singles. With two on and good speed at second, Sanchez needed just a single to put the Marlins back in front. Instead, he did much more. Despite falling behind in the count 1-2, Sanchez was able to get a fastball that he could drive and did just that. Sanchez blasted the Dessens pitch over the left-center field wall for a three-run home run to put the Marlins ahead for good. Although he allowed the tying run in the eighth, José Veras got the win for Florida. Clay Hensley closed things out in the ninth for the save. Dessens took the loss for the Mets. Sanchez finished the night 3-for-4 and a triple shy of the cycle with two runs scored. Sanchez scored on an error in the seventh that gave the Marlins a 2-1 lead. In addition to Wright, Lucas Duda also homered for the Mets. Sanchez would go on to finish the 2010 season with a .273 batting average, 19 home runs and 85 RBIs en route to finishing fourth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. All of those numbers would serve as career-highs. Sanchez also provided the heroics in what would be the Marlins’ last win in their final at-bat during the 2010 season. It eliminated the Mets from playoff contention on this day 15 years ago. View full article

The Florida Marlins improved upon the previous season in each of their first five years as a franchise. Florida seemed to be turning a corner midway through the 1995 campaign. Thanks largely to an 8-24 record through May, the Marlins were 20 games below .500 through 70 games. Florida would go 42-31 the rest of the way. The last win in their final at-bat of the season came on this day 30 years ago. Florida was looking to even a three-game series as it played its next-to-last road game at Veterans Stadium on Sept. 19, 1995. The Marlins trailed by four after six innings and three entering their final at-bat, but Greg Colbrunn’s blast capped a four-run inning to stun the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-4. The Marlins trailed 4-1 as Philadelphia’s All-Star closer Heathcliff Slocumb took the mound in the top of the ninth. Slocumb retired Jesús Tavarez to open the frame, but that would be the lone out he would record. After a walk to Gary Sheffield, an RBI double by Jeff Conine brought the tying run to the plate. Terry Pendleton singled home Conine and just like that, Slocumb’s day was done. The Phillies turned to Toby Borland to face Greg Colbrunn. Borland was able to get ahead in the count, but uncorked a wild pitch to move Pendleton into scoring position. Colbrunn worked the count full before depositing a Borland pitch into the left-field stands to give Florida a 5-4 lead. In the bottom of the ninth, Marlins closer Robb Nen needed just 10 pitches to seal the deal. After inducing a pair of groundouts, Nen struck out Mark Whiten to end the contest. The comeback stifled what was a splendid outing by Philadelphia starter—and future Marlin—Dennis Springer. Springer allowed just a run on four hits in seven innings. An RBI single by Sheffield in the seventh was all the Marlins could manage off the knuckleballer. All of the Philadelphia offense came in the first three innings. The Phillies drew first blood on an RBI single by Kevin Stocker in the second before getting to Florida starter Ryan Bowen for three unearned runs in the third. An RBI single by Jim Eisenreich, who would go on to be a member of the Marlins’ 1997 world championship team, doubled the lead before catcher Mike Lieberthal added a two-run double. Yorkis Perez worked a perfect eighth to earn the win for Florida. Borland took the loss. The Marlins would collect another one-run victory the next day, winning 2-1, to take their final road series of the year. That wouldn’t have been possible without the thrilling win that took place on this day three decades ago. View full article