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Sunday, Apr. 16 2:20pm ET
Marlins claim win by hook; Cubs claim crook | |||||
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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
CHICAGO (AP) -- Fair or foul? Depends on who you ask. Cliff Floyd hit a home run that barely curved around the right-field foul pole in the 10th inning Sunday, giving the Florida Marlins a 6-5 win over the Chicago Cubs. The Marlins trailed 5-0 early before coming back. With one out in the 10th, Floyd hit a 2-1 pitch from Ruben Quevado (0-1) for a home run that brought an argument from the Cubs. First basemen Mark Grace and manager Don Baylor claimed the ball was foul. But first base umpire Mark Hirschbeck ruled it fair, and replays appeared to show he was correct. "Absolutely," Hirschbeck said. "I had the ball the whole way." Said Grace: "I saw it go foul and Mark saw it go fair and he was in perfect position." "Half the people who saw it say it's fair and half the people who saw it say foul. We both had the same look and we disagreed. (Hirschbeck's) word is law." Cubs coach Billy Williams wasn't sure. "I looked at (the replay) three times and I couldn't tell," he said. Baylor asked Hirschbeck to confer with home plate umpire Dan Iassogna but he did not. "I just know Grace is not going to holler and scream at a fair ball," Baylor said. As Hirschbeck was being interviewed, a replay of Floyd's homer was shown on the television in the umpire's room. It supported Hirschbeck's call. "I'm glad I got it right," Hirschbeck said. Floyd could understand why the Cubs complained. "The reason it was fair was because it was so fair when it started out," he said. "It just hooked the pole. I could see the argument, but it was fair." Naturally, Marlins manager John Boles agreed. "Our people saw it on TV and it hooked the pole," he said. "In the dugout, I was praying it was fair. (Hirschbeck) had a perfect view. He was right on top." Dan Miceli (2-0) picked up the win with 1 2/3 innings of relief and Antonio Alfonseca pitched the 10th for his fourth save. The Cubs missed opportunities in the eighth and ninth innings as the first two batters in each inning drew walks. Miceli was key in getting out of both jams, striking out Grace and Henry Rodriguez in the ninth. "I'm kind of used to it," Miceli said of the tough situations. "That's how the game is supposed to be played." The Marlins' bullpen did not allow a run in over seven innings, the sixth consecutive game the relievers have not given up a run. Trailing 5-0 against Jon Lieber, the Marlins batted around in the fourth to tie it. Paul Bako hit a two-run single, Chris Clapinski had an RBI double and pinch-hitter Mark Smith added a two-run single to make it 5-all. Sammy Sosa singled, stole his first base of the season and scored on Grace's single off Vladimir Nunez in the first. Jeff Reed hit an RBI single and scored on a wild pitch, and Ricky Gutierrez added an RBI single in the Cubs second. Rodriguez hit his first home run in the third to make it 5-0. Lieber, trying for his 50th career win, gave up five runs and seven hits in eight innings. He struck out eight. Game notesMarlins 2B Luis Castillo did not start for the first time this year because of a slight back strain. He returned to Miami to undergo an MRI on his back. ... Rodriguez's homer ended an 0-for-14 skid. ... Gutierrez extended his hitting streak to a career-high 11 games. ... New Mexico linebacker Brian Urlacher, the Chicago Bears' No. 1 draft pick, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. He actually needed two tries -- his first toss sailed over Shane Andrews' head at the plate. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Florida Clubhouse Chicago Cubs Clubhouse RECAPS Boston 5 Oakland 4
Florida 6
Colorado 14
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