Comeback Kids Do it Again

They may not yet be the “Miracle Marlins,” but what this underdog team did Thursday night was downright miraculous. One out away from defeat in the ninth inning, the Marlins received back-to-back pinch-hit home runs by Joe Borchard and Wes Helms to force extra innings. Then in the 10th inning, Miguel Cabrera swatted an RBI single to center on what was supposed to be an intentional walk. The amazing string of events propelled Florida to an improbable 8-5 win over Baltimore at a stunned Camden Yards.

Hanley Ramirez opened the 10th with a bunt single off Todd Williams. A groundout moved Ramirez to second. What happened next falls under the “believe it or not” category. Williams attempted to intentionally walk Cabrera, but the pitch was too close to the plate, and the Marlins slugger reached out and flicked an RBI single to center off a stunned Williams.

Quotes from the win…

“I told guys, ‘There are two things that happened tonight that you might not see again in your career,’” Helms said. “Back-to-back pinch-hit homers and then a pitchout base hit to win a game — this is a game these guys will remember.”

“It looked like a Wiffle ball game,” Helms said.

“I had it like two times this year,” Cabrera said of taking intentional walks on a close pitch. “I said, ‘I’m going to get ready.’ A couple of games before it was close. I said, ‘I’ll be ready on every pitch and see what happens.’ It feels good. I saw the ball coming to the plate, and I said, ‘I have to swing.’”

“The thing is their fielders were kind of relaxed,” Girardi said. “Maybe Hanley wouldn’t have been able to score if they weren’t. But you don’t expect that to happen.”

“I told them that this is the greatest game they’ve played all year,’” Girardi said.

“Pitchers’ duel turned into a slugfest,” Olsen said. “It worked out great for us. Our guys didn’t get down in the ninth inning. Four runs down against their closer who throws 97, that can be pretty tough.”

“You can talk about so many guys on this team about what happened tonight,” Borchard said. “It goes back throughout the whole game. Olsen pitching so well for the first seven innings, Wes coming off the bench and Miguel doing something I’ll probably never see again. It’s just amazing. You can go down the list with so many guys.”

[FLORIDA MARLINS]
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