Thirty years ago, the Florida Marlins turned a dead-bang, one-run loss into a walk-off win with two swings that came one after the other.
Jeff Conine tied it, Devon White ended it, and Joe Robbie Stadium had itself a finish.
After eight quiet innings, the Marlins were staring at a 1-0 deficit against the Houston Astros. Doug Drabek had kept Florida in check through seven shutout innings of four-hit ball, and Billy Wagner carried the lead into the ninth after a scoreless eighth. But Wagner stayed on for one inning too many.
Conine, who had been 0-for-3, worked ahead in the count 2-1 and then drove a Wagner fastball that was left up to right field and just over the wall for the game-tying opposite-field homer. Three pitches later, White followed from the right side and turned a breaking ball into a blast over “teal tower” in left field for his first walk-off home run in more than a decade.
That was it: back-to-back bombs, a 2-1 Marlins win, and a game that flipped in an instant.
The final line was tight all the way through. The two clubs combined for just 12 hits, with White and Houston’s Jeff Bagwell each collecting two. Derek Bell had driven in the Astros’ only run in the fourth, singling home Craig Biggio.
Florida got a strong outing from Al Leiter, who allowed one run on three hits and a walk over seven innings while striking out five. Félix Heredia finished the job, getting the final five outs for his first career win.
White’s 1996 season was a big one at age 34, and the numbers back that up: a .274 average, 17 home runs, 84 RBIs, 37 doubles, six triples and 22 stolen bases. His last homer of that season became the one fans remember most - the walk-off that capped this “30-year Marliniversary.”
In Other News...
Marlins Keep Running Into The Same Problem This Young Core Must Fix
A rough night against the Padres put the Marlins right back at a familiar crossroads: a young roster with enough talent to hang around, but a defense that can still tilt a game the wrong way. Miami dropped a 7-3 decision as the fielding issues mounted, and manager Clayton McCullough was quick to underline what the club already knows well, that cleaner defense is going to be part of the foundation if this group is going to take the next step.
For players such as Javier Sanoja, the growing pains are tied to the ongoing adjustment to new positions, which makes every miscue feel a little more exposed. The Marlins are still working through that process, trying to sharpen the details while the lineup and pitching staff wait for the defense to catch up, and the larger question is how quickly a team built around youth can turn that work into something reliable. [Read more 🡒]
Marlins Just Hit A Brutal Point In A Lost Season
The Marlins reached the kind of late-September checkpoint no club wants to face, officially dropping out of postseason contention after being swept by the Padres. Sandy Alcantara gave Miami a steady six innings in the finale, but San Diego did its damage in bunches, with Jake Cronenworth powering the lineup by driving in four runs on a pair of two-run homers.
Miami now heads into a three-game series against the Cubs with little left in the standings picture and plenty of questions about how the rest of the season will be handled. Janson Junk is lined up to start the opener, another turn in a rotation that will spend the final stretch trying to find something worth carrying into next year. [Read more 🡒]
Marlins Have A Rising Power Bat With One Big Question Left
Brandon Compton has pushed his way onto the radar this season as one of the more intriguing power bats in the Marlins system. The 22-year-old left-handed hitter cleared at least 35 home runs in the minors, and his climb through the year was backed by a strong all-around line: a .271 average, 27 doubles and 27 steals in 124 games as he moved from High-A all the way to Triple-A.
For Miami, the appeal is easy to see. Compton has already shown he can adjust, coming back from elbow surgery in 2023 and later altering his swing after a hamate injury, and he has spent most of his time in left field with some first base mixed in. The next question is less about the bat than the rest of the profile, with his defense still a work in progress as he keeps trying to round out the game. [Read more 🡒]