Greatest Moments in Marlins History: #56 Chicks Dig the Longball

April 4, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; A general viewof the home run sculpture at left center field before the start of opening day game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Miami Marlins at Marlins Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome back to the Greatest Moments in Marlins History.  Yesterday I told you I had something grand for you. Remember back in 1999 when Nike came out with their “Chicks Dig The Longball” commercial? Well… for moment 56 we are giving you the grand-daddy of all longballs, the grand slam! On April 25, 1993 Junior Felix hit the 1^st ever grand slam in Marlins history.

We enter the top of the 4^th in Mile High Stadium (of course this would be the first place for a grand slam), with 71,000 plus screaming Rockies fans and the Marlins with only 17 games under their belt. We’re up 2-0 in this rubber match for expansion team dominance. A single by Benito Santiago and a double by Jeff Conine give Alex Arias a nice shot to add to the lead, and he singles both runners in at his at bat. The score is 4-0. Walt Weiss singles, Ryan Bowen strikes out, and Chuck Carr is walked to load the bases. Up comes Junior.

Junior, with already 2 home runs this season, comes up to the plate and Scott Aldred does not want any more damage to be done. With 1 out, bases loaded, and the Marlins up 4-0, Scott plays it safe.  Ball 1, then ball 2, followed by ball 3, and of course pitch four was a called strike. Four pitches and the count is 3-1. Scott is really hoping he won’t miss this pitch. Junior is really hoping for a good pitch so he can send sailing over the fence. You know who got his wish? Pitch number five, GONE! A grand slam and the first in Marlins history!

That was a real long ball and the Marlins ended up winning the game 11-1. Join me tomorrow as we tackle a very import game in Marlins history. It may not have been a first, but it still made a world of difference.