Judging by the comments around baseball, not many players are going to weep openly tomorrow when the Marlins play their last game ever at Sun Life Stadium. "There were a lot of rain delays, and no fans," Josh Willingham recalls. "You're talking about the worst conditions," ex-fan fave Cody Ross adds.
But let's not forget that Miami Gardens' big football park saw some damn good baseball in the last two decades. In just 18 years, the place has hosted more World Series champs than Wrigley Field has in almost a century! Click through for video of the five best baseball moments at the stadium.
5. Anibal Sanchez's No Hitter
Unlike the Mets, who still have yet to record a no-hitter in franchise history, Anibal Sanchez's 2006 no-no against the Diamondbacks was actually the fourth for the Fish. But it was badass for all kinds of other reasons, not the least of which was that he tossed it front of a home town crowd. He also become just the 19th rookie to throw a no-hitter, mowing down 27 D-Backs in his 13th ever big-league start.
4. Ken Griffey Jr.'s 600th Home Run
Only eight men have ever hit more than 600 homers and, in the Steroid Era, only two have more or less avoided the Canseco-scented taint of performance enhancing drugs. One of those dudes is Ken Griffey Jr., and he broke the 600 barrier with the most historically important bomb in Miami Gardens history.
(Skip ahead to 3:50 to watch Griffey rip it, complete with a Marlins fan happily yelling Puta!)
3. Roy Halladay's Perfect Game
Trust us, it's causing us physical pain to include a Phillies moment on this list. But the fact remains that in the entire history of the American Pastime, only twenty perfect games have ever been pitched.
Last year, on May 29, Roy Halladay saw 27 Marlins hitters and sent 27 Marlins packing back to the dugout.
2. Alex Gonzalez's Walk-Off Homer, Game 4 in the 2003 World Series
The Fish had this game wrapped up until the ninth, when Ugeth Urbina (yeah, the guy doing 14 years of hard time in Venezuela these days for attempted murder) blew a save. But it all worked out because Alex Gonzalez -- a decent hitting shortstop who'd popped 18 long flies on the year -- came to the plate in the bottom of the 12th inning.
The Marlins won the next two games as well to take home their second title. (MLB seems to have scrubbed Gonzalez's heroics from the web, so enjoy a cheesy montage of the title run instead.)
1. Edgar Renteria's World Series-Winning Single
There's only been one all-time classic game hosted at Sun Life -- but sweet baby Jesus was it one of the greatest World Series games ever played.
The date was Oct. 26, 1997, and the Marlins and Indians were knotted up at three games each. The Fish had sent the game to extra innings, tied 2-2, thanks to a ninth inning rally. Fast-forward to the bottom of the 11th. Craig Counsell stood at third base with two outs. A young Colombian shortstop named Edgar Renteria came to bat. Then the greatest moment in Marlins history happened.
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