MAGIC STILL THERE
MARLINS RALLY FOR
TWO NINTH-INNING RUNS
BY LEE GANNON
SPORTSWRITER
MIAMI DAILY SUN
PITTSBURGH - THE OLD JOKE ABOUT TEACHING A CHILD TO COUNT TO 50 BY SHOWING HIM A MARLINS ROSTER STILL FITS, BUT THE COMBINED 77 YEARS OF LIFE EXPERIENCE OF TWO PLAYERS PAID OFF MONDAY
AARON CONNER, 40, DID WHAT HE'S DONE BETTER THAN ANYBODY EVER - DRIVE IN A RUN. CONNER'S TWO-OUT SINGLE EVENED THE SCORES AT ONE APIECE AND JIM KENNEDY, 37, WHO IF HE RETIRES THIS OFFSEASON AS EXPECTED, WILL END HIS CAREER ONE HIT SHY OF 2,000, GOT A BASE KNOCK TO PUT FLORIDA AHEAD 2-1.
THAT SENDS THE TEAMS SOUTH TIED 1-1 IN THE NLDS - AND SWIFTLY PUTS THE MARLINS ON THE SIDE OF MOMENTUM.
"THERE'S NO DOUBT. THAT WAS AN INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT NINTH INNING," CONNER SAID.
BRILLIANT PITCHING BY KEVIN BLACK (SIX INNINGS, SIX STRIKEOUTS, FOUR HITS AND JUST AN UNEARNED RUN) AND MATT HAYEK (ONE HIT IN TWO ININGS) KEPT THE MARLINS IN STRIKING DISTANCE.
BUT BLEAK WAS THE WORD FOR THE DAY BEFORE SHINGO SHINJO'S DOUBLE WITH TWO DOWN IN THE NINTH GAVE THE MARLINS A TAD BIT OF HOPE.
THAT STARTED TO SLIDE AWAY AS CONNER MISSED AT TWO BAD PITCHES - BUT THEN SINGLED SHARPLY TO CENTER TO PLATE SHINJO, BRINGING UP LIKELY NL MVP ALVIN PARKER. THE CATHER RIPPED A DOUBLE TO LEFT AND CONNER MAY HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO SCORE BUT WAS HELD UP.
UP CAME KENNEDY - WHO DIDN'T EVEN MANAGE 100 AT-BATS DURING AN INJURY-PLAGUED SEASON AND WAS 0-FOR-3 FOR THE NIGHT. BUT THE VETERAN SECOND BASEMAN DRILLED A SINGLE TO PUT FLORIDA UP FOR GOOD.
"IT FELT GOOD JUST TO BE ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE," KENNEDY SAID.
CASEY RAMIRO AND ROB MICKLUS KEPT THE DOOR SHUT FOR THE MARLINS, WHO HOST PITTSBURGH AT 1:05 P.M. WEDNESDAY IN GAME THREE.
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