10-year Marliniversary: Maybin’s inside-the-park homer highlights Memorial Day comeback vs. Brewers

There’s nothing quite like holiday baseball during a three-day weekend. On Memorial Day a decade ago, the Florida Marlins used a big sixth inning to erase an early deficit and send the South Florida fans home happy.

At 25-26, the Marlins were looking to get back to .500 as they opened a four-game series at Sun Life Stadium against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 31, 2010. Through five innings, Florida had been shut out and managed just two hits. When all was said and done, the Marlins were 13-5 winners.

In the top of the sixth, Milwaukee had added an insurance run to go up 4-0. To that point, Brewers starting pitcher Chris Narveson had blown away the Florida bats.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Marlins broke up the shutout on an RBI ground out by Jorge Cantú, but with two outs, Narveson still seemed in control. Before the inning was over, Milwaukee was down 7-4.

After a walk to Dan Uggla brought the tying run to the plate, Cody Ross emptied the bases with a three-run home run to knot the game at four. Narveson proceeded to allow a double to catcher Ronny Paulino and just like that, his day was done.

The Marlins’ sixth, however, was just getting started. After reliever Carlos Villanueva walked Cameron Maybin, pinch hitter Mike Lamb’s RBI single to center gave Florida its first lead, 5-4. That brought up Chris Coghlan. The 2009 NL Rookie of the Year, Coghlan had started the inning by singling and scoring Florida’s first run. His second hit of the inning was a two-run triple.

Villanueva was able to strike out Gaby Sánchez to prevent any further damage, but in the bottom of the seventh, the Marlins put together another two-out rally.

Following a two-out walk to Uggla, Ross again came through with an RBI double before coming home on Paulino’s second double in as many innings. The big blow of the inning and the highlight of the day then came from Cameron Maybin, whose liner got past center fielder Carlos Gómez and to the wall. Maybin came all the way home on a two-run inside-the-park home run.

With the lead now 11-4, Florida wasn’t done. The Marlins added a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth on a two-run single by Cantú.

When the day was over, every position player for Florida had at least one hit. Coghlan and Paulino each tallied three hits for the Marlins. Ross recorded two to go with four RBIs. Cantú plated three runs in the win. Coghlan, Uggla, Paulino, Ross and Maybin each scored twice.

For Milwaukee, Corey Hart homered and plated two runs. Rickie Weeks had two hits and two RBIs for the Brewers in the loss.

Narveson ultimately took the loss for the Brewers, but it was the bullpen that allowed seven runs in just 2.1 innings of relief. Jorge Sosa, who threw just one pitch resulting in a line drive double play, earned the win for the Marlins.

Florida would go on to win three of the four games to take the series. The only one of those victories in which the Marlins trailed came on this day a decade ago.