Infante Sets Off HR Sculpture in Marlins Win

Marlins beat Astros in 11 innings, 5-4

Omar Infante and Hanley Ramirez hit the Miami Marlins' first homers in their new ballpark, activating the much-discussed home-run sculpture and helping to beat the Houston Astros 5-4 in 11 innings Sunday.

Infante's shot came in the second inning, which was also the Marlins' 31st in the new stadium. For the first time, the 73-foot-tall sculpture lit up and the fountain next to it shot bursts of water while the enormous blue marlins attached to it rotated around the structure (see video of the sculpture below).

The Marlins did not have to wait long for their second home run in the new park. Hanley Ramirez tied the game in the eighth against Wilton Lopez with a two-run homer over the 418-foot sign in center field.

In the bottom of the 11th inning, Ramirez returned to the plate with the bases loaded following a John Buck single, a sac bunt, and intentional walks to Jose Reyes and Emilio Bonifacio. Ramirez hit a long single over right fielder Travis Buck for the win.

The Marlins went 2-3 without manager Ozzie Guillen, who had been serving a five-game suspension imposed after he angered Cuban Americans in South Florida by praising Fidel Castro. He will return to the dugout on Tuesday following an off-day on Monday.

Pitcher Anibal Sanchez allowed two earned runs in six innings, striking out seven Astros. His counterpart, J.A. Happ, allowed two runs in six innings with eight strikeouts.

The Marlins seem to be drawing well in their new stadium. Sunday's announced attendance was 34,232, although the actual turnout was several thousand less.

In their first four games at Marlins Park, the team has drawn attendance of 132,661 fans. In 2011, it took seven games to reach that mark, even though Sun Life Stadium holds far more fans and the season started off with a three-game series against the New York Mets.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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