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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Florida Marlins got their most painful
victory of the season Saturday night.
Rich Loiselle hit Alex Gonzalez with a pitch with the bases
loaded in the 11th inning to give the Marlins a 4-3 win over the
Pittsburgh Pirates.
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Umpire Bonin
sustains concussion
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PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Umpire Greg Bonin sustained a concussion when
a foul ball knocked his mask off in the eighth inning of Saturday
night's game between the Florida Marlins and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Bonin was removed from the field by ambulance after he was
placed in a neck brace, then put on a stretcher. He was taken to
nearby Allegheny General Hospital for tests, including a CAT scan.
Crew chief Larry Young was headed to the hospital after the game
to check on Bonin. Young said that Mark Letendre, the umpires'
director of training, had been in telephone contact with the
hospital.
Bonin was working behind the plate when Pittsburgh's Wil Cordero
fouled a pitch from Braden Looper straight back. It struck Bonin
with enough force to knock off his mask and immediately force him
to the ground.
"It caught him right on the chin," Young said. Florida manager John Boles said Bonin " was out before he hit
the ground." Pirates physician Dr. Joseph Coroso said Bonin was unconscious
for "just a second or two."
Both Young and Coroso said Bonin had sustained a concussion
earlier when he was hit by a bat. Coroso said that Bonin had a pinched nerve in his neck and that
the force of the ball hyperextended his neck and caused intense
momentary pain.
The game was delayed 16 minutes while Bonin was attended to by
Pirates doctors, training personnel from both teams and paramedics. Bonin, who turned 45 on Thursday, became a regular member of the NL umpiring staff in April of 1986.
The game was completed with three umpires.
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It was just another high-stress night for the Marlins, who have
had 23 of their 68 games decided by a single run. They're 12-11.
"We play a lot of these, don't we?" Manager John Boles said.
"This is a typical game for us."
But this one was worse because of injuries to Marlins catcher
Mike Redmond and plate umpire Greg Bonin.
Redmond sprained his knee while trying to block the plate to
prevent the tying run in the ninth and Bonin sustained a concussion
when a foul ball was hit off his mask.
The game was delayed 16 minutes while an ambulance came onto the
field for Bonin, who was placed in a neck brace and removed on a
stretcher.
"This is the kind of game where you can very easily lose
focus," Marlins outfielder Preston Wilson said. "You see two
people leave on stretchers and you know that someone's health is
way more important than any baseball game. It's kind of hard to
concentrate."
The Marlins are hoping Redmond can avoid the disabled list.
Boles said they would wait to see how his knee feels on Sunday.
Bonin was taken to Allegheny General Hospital for tests,
including a CT scan. Wil Cordero fouled a pitch straight back in
the eighth that knocked of Bonin's mask and momentarily knocked him
out.
"He took it right on the chin," said crew chief Larry Young,
who was working at third base. Young said that Bonin was conscious
by the time he got to home plate.
Pirates doctor Joseph Coroso said Bonin lost consciousness for
"just a second or two."
Loiselle (0-1), the fifth Pittsburgh pitcher, gave up a double
to Wilson, an infield single to pinch-hitter Kevin Millar and
walked Derrek Lee before hitting Gonzalez with an 0-1 pitch.
Antonio Alfonseca (2-4) got the win despite blowing his third
save in 22 opportunities in the ninth inning.
Joe Strong got one out, striking out Jason Kendall on a slider
with runners on first and third, for his first career save.
"He's a great hitter and I knew I had to just go right at
him," Strong said. "I showed him respect but I knew I couldn't
show any fear."
The Pirates tied the game by rallying with two outs and no on in
the ninth against Alfonseca, the NL saves leader with 19.
Pinch-hitter John Vander Wal singled and scored on Luis Sojo's
double to left-center. Vander Wal collided with Redmond on a play
at the plate.
"It's nice to rally and come back like we did but it would even
nicer to win," Pirates Manager Gene Lamont said. "It's
frustrating to lose a game like this. We tied it up and we had some
real good chances to win. We couldn't do it."
Alfonseca had blown only two other save opportunities this
season. The last came on May 30 at Pittsburgh when he gave up
consecutive doubles in the ninth and a game-winning home run to
Brian Giles in the 10th.
Jesus Sanchez pitched 7 1-3 strong innings but remained winless
in seven starts since May 10.
Wilson homered in the fourth off Todd Ritchie, and Florida added
a pair of runs in the fifth when Redmond singled, Luis Castillo
walked and Kotsay doubled.
Pittsburgh scored in the sixth on consecutive doubles by Mike
Benjamin and Kendall, who had gone 12 games without driving in a
run.
Sanchez, making his longest appearance this season, left after a
one-out single to Benjamin in the eighth. Kendall singled off
Braden Looper and Cordero hit an RBI grounder.
Game notes
Looper's save against the Pirates on Friday was the first
by a Marlins pitcher other than Alfonseca since Dennis Springer's
against the Dodgers last Aug. 17. ... Pittsburgh's first two
runners led to errors on pickoff tries. 1B Lee missed Sanchez's
throw in the first and Sanchez threw wildly to second in the second
inning. ... Vander Wal is 7-for-14 as a pinch hitter. ... Sojo's
game-tying double extended his hitting streak to nine games.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Florida Clubhouse
Pittsburgh Clubhouse
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