Marlins manager Joe Girardi is a stickler for rules, but his edict against on-field celebrations disappeared over the left-field wall in the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday night.
Josh Willingham continued his home-run tear with his biggest clout yet, a two-run drive off Billy Wagner with one out in the ninth that lifted the Marlins to a 6-5 victory over the red-hot Mets.
It was the Marlins' first game-ending home run in more than two years - reason enough for Girardi to smile with approval as Willingham flipped his helmet into the air before jumping into a mob of teammates at home plate to the cheers of 16,641 at Dolphin Stadium.
"I'm not a huge fan of it" Girardi said of on-field celebrations, "but the kids can enjoy it. As long as you do it with class."
I'm not sure how classy it was, but it was sure fun to watch.