BOSTON (AP) – The Florida Marlins didn’t just go back to their hotel and stew about Boston’s record-setting blowout. They did something about it.
Mike Lowell hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning Saturday night as Florida rallied from a seven-run deficit to beat Boston 10-9. It was the biggest comeback victory in franchise history, and it came one day after the Red Sox scored 14 in the first inning – and kept scoring from there, much to the Marlins’ disgust.
“We were embarrassed last night,” said Florida manager Jack McKeon, who complained that Boston showed the Marlins up in Friday’s 25-8 win. “This takes a little of the taste out of our mouth. They were very jubilant last night. They woke us up.”
Boston had another big inning Saturday, scoring seven in the sixth to take a 9-2 lead. But Juan Encarnacion hit a three-run homer as the Marlins scored four in the eighth, then they scored four more in the ninth.
“We set a lot of records the last two nights, didn’t we,” McKeon said with a chuckle. “You can pop off all you want. You’ve got to back it up.”
Nate Bump earned the win in his major league debut after being called up from Triple-A Albuquerque earlier in the day. He allowed two runs on three hits in 2 1-3 innings as the Marlins crossed the halfway point of the season by improving to .500.
“It was my first game, so I was nervous,” said Bump, who didn’t really retire a batter in the sixth – the third out came on the basepaths – but followed that with two scoreless innings. “I wouldn’t want it to be any different than it was tonight.”
Braden Looper pitched the ninth for his 14th save. Pinch-hitter Jason Varitek doubled with one out, but he was doubled up for the game’s final out when Juan Pierre made a diving catch of Johnny Damon’s liner and threw it to second.
“I just screwed up,” Varitek said. “My instincts were that I had to go right away in order to score on the ball. I was wrong.”
Brandon Lyon (3-4) blew his first save in 10 opportunities, giving up three singles – including an RBI hit by Ivan Rodriguez – before Lowell hit an 0-2 pitch into the Boston bullpen with two outs in the ninth.
It was Rodriguez’s fifth consecutive multihit game.
Gabe Kapler was 4-for-5 in his Boston debut, driving in three runs in the sixth as Boston scored at least seven runs in an inning for the third time in four days.
Nomar Garciaparra hit a two-run homer in the fourth and added a two-run double in the sixth to make it 6-2 and chase Tommy Phelps.
Pierre had four hits, a walk and two stolen bases for Florida.
Kapler, released by Colorado on June 19, signed with the Red Sox on Tuesday and went to the minors to play himself into shape. He went 3-for-6 in two minor league games and showed no rust when he arrived at Fenway on Saturday, either.
He doubled in the third, singled in the fourth and tripled in the first run in the sixth to break a 2-2 tie. Kapler doubled in two more when he came up for a second time in the sixth, then struck out in his last at-bat, in the eighth.
Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield left with a 9-6 lead in the eighth after giving up Encarnacion’s homer.
Notes: Florida RHP Kevin Olsen was put on the 15-day disabled list, one day after he was hit in the head by Todd Walker’s line drive. Olsen spent a night in the hospital for observation with a concussion; he also needed six stitches to close a cut. … Before Friday, the last time two pitchers failed to record an out to open a game was Wayne Simpson and Ken Wright for the Kansas City Royals on May 5, 1973. McKeon was the manager of that team, too. … Pierre stole second and third base in the first inning to give him 35 steals this season. He was caught stealing in the fifth for the 10th time this year. He leads the majors in both categories. … Garciaparra has hit safely in 31 consecutive home games, and 37 of 38 this season. … Boston RHP Chad Fox (left side muscle strain) pitched 1 1-3 innings, allowing one hit and two walks and two strikeouts for Double-A Portland on a rehab assignment. … Boston put Jeremy Giambi on the disabled list with left shoulder bursitis to make room for Kapler.
AP-ES-06-28-03 2321EDT
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