Games of the Decade: June 29, 2010

Nothing compares with the rush of tuning in to live Marlins games. But as you are all aware, unfortunate circumstances have delayed the start of the 2020 regular season. Need help filling that void? Fish Stripes will be presenting full-length FOX Sports Florida broadcasts from the 2010-2019 Marlins seasons.

The “Games of the Decade” series is a collaborative process between the Fish Stripes staff and audience. Please continue recommending games that deserve to be rewatched!

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Mets 6, Marlins 7—June 29, 2010

Starting Lineups

Important context for this game before we get into the play-by-play details:

• The Marlins fired manager Fredi González following a 34-36 start to the 2010 season. ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine was being rumored as the top target to replace him.
• Edwin Rodríguez was five games into his stint as interim skipper when the team made a special trip to his native Puerto Rico to face the Mets in the San Juan Series. The Marlins won the series opener, 10-3, to snap a four-game losing streak.

As soon as Nate Robertson delivered a first-pitch strike to begin Tuesday’s contest, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reported that Rodríguez had some job security.

Robertson put a damper on the news by allowing New York to claim an early lead. Jason Bay’s sacrifice fly in the first inning made it 1-0. Then in the third, José Reyes and Ángel Pagán stretched it to 3-0 with a run-scoring double and sac fly, respectively.

In the bottom of the frame against Hisanori Takahashi, the Marlins countered with one of the greatest two-out rallies in franchise history.

Robertson got things started by helping his own cause with a single up the middle, just past the outstretched glove of the shortstop Reyes. Chris Coghlan, in a full count, took a borderline pitch off the outside corner to draw a walk and Gaby Sánchez singled to load the bases. Still no runs to show for their hard work...until Hanley Ramírez stepped to the plate. His liner to left-center barely cleared the wall at Estadio Hiram Bithorn for a go-ahead grand slam. A few minutes later, Dan Uggla added insurance with a two-run bomb against Takahashi, Uggla’s team-leading 15th of the season. It was now 6-3 Marlins.

Robertson settled in from there, but Miami’s bullpen faltered in the later innings. One run in the seventh and two more against Leo Núñez in the ninth to knot things up at 6-6.

Once again, the Marlins sparked their offense with two outs and the bases empty. Jorge Cantú blasted a double off Pedro Feliciano to extend the inning, and Uggla knocked him in for the game-winning run with a well-placed single.

Full FOX Sports Florida game broadcast (with Rich Waltz, Tommy Hutton and Craig Minervini)

TL;DW (Too Long; Didn’t Watch)

FanGraphs

• As Rich Waltz noted on the broadcast, Cantú was a poor baserunner—even moving on contact, he needed ideal circumstances to score on a single. The Marlins were fortunate that the usual center fielder Págan had been battling spasms in his right side, which is why rookie Jesús Feliciano replaced him in the eighth inning. Not only did Feliciano have an inferior throwing arm but he was playing extremely deep in this situation. That allowed Cantú to make it home easily.

• Rich and Tommy answered fan messages during the broadcast as part of FOX Sports Florida’s E-mail Tuesday. They even had fun with someone named “Roy” who only wrote in to criticize the segment.

• This was the most recent trip that the Marlins have made to Puerto Rico. They had been scheduled to return in 2016 and then again in 2020, but those planned were scrapped due to outbreaks of the Zika virus and COVID-19, respectively.

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The “Games of the Decade” series is also available as a YouTube playlist (games listed there in chronological order)