The Florida Marlins are concocting a whopper of a fish story that no one would believe if it weren’t happening before their very own eyes.
A billionaire owner empties his wallet to stock a 5-year-old ballclub with enough stars to win a World Series, losing $30 million along the way. Then his $35 million pitcher suffers a career-threatening injury in the playoffs, and his manager replaces the team’s $25 million left-fielder in the most important game of the year with a 5-foot-7-inch role player.
But nothing seems to get in the way of the Marlins’ dream season. Florida ignored all the obstacles in its way on Friday, knocking off the Atlanta Braves 5-2 at Pro Player Stadium to take a 2-1 lead in the National League Championship Series.
Al Leiter will try to put the Marlins one win away from the World Series in Game 4 on Saturday, facing 20-game winner Denny Neagle.
Game 3 was as wacky as it gets, with Marlins rookie Livan Hernandez getting the victory in relief over veteran John Smoltz, who was gunning for an all-time record 11th postseason victory.
The Marlins scored four runs off Smoltz with two outs in the sixth, turning a 2-1 deficit into a 5-2 lead. With runners on first and second and two outs, Darren Daulton hit a line drive to right that Andruw Jones misplayed into a double. Jones appeared to freeze on the ball, which sailed over his head and tied the game.
After an intentional walk to Devon White loaded the bases, Charles Johnson doubled over the head of Ryan Klesko in left, clearing the bases and giving the Marlins a three-run lead. Robb Nen closed it out in the ninth, while Marlins fans did their own in-your-face version of the tomahawk chop.
Florida manager Jim Leyland played the game under protest after an incident at second base in the fourth inning led to the Braves’ first run.
After Kenny Lofton singled leading off, he attempted to steal second on a 3-2 pitch to Jeff Blauser. Lofton was called out by second base umpire Eric Gregg–even though replays showed he was safe–and he stepped off the base to argue the call. Unbeknownst to Lofton, pitcher Tony Saunders had just thrown ball four to Blauser, meaning the steal attempt was irrelevant and second base was his anyway. But second baseman Craig Counsell alertly watched Lofton walk off the base and then tagged him out.
Gregg ruled that time was out after the steal attempt, and thus Counsell could not tag Lofton, which led to a prolonged argument by Leyland. It ended only after the umpires went over to the box where National League President Leonard Coleman was seated.
“The umpires ruled that it was umpire error that the runner had been inappropriately called out when it was ball four, and therefore placed him on the appropriate base,” Coleman said in a statement.
Leyland filed his protest, and after a long delay, play resumed. The Braves then loaded the bases when Chipper Jones laid down a sacrifice bunt and Counsell dropped the relay from Bobby Bonilla at first.
Fred McGriff’s sacrifice fly to left gave the Braves the lead, but it barely lasted as long as the argument. Gary Sheffield’s home run in the fourth tied it at 1-1. McGriff’s sacrifice fly gave Atlanta a 2-1 lead, but a Chipper Jones baserunning error cost the Braves a chance at a bigger inning.
