Reds manager Dusty Baker made two defensive changes before the bottom half of the 11th inning with the Reds holding a one-run lead against the Marlins.
Drew Stubbs went to center field and Chris Heisey, who started the game there, moved over to left for Ryan Ludwick, whose RBI single off Carlos Zambrano gave Cincinnati the lead in the top half of the frame.
Jonathan Broxton walked Donovan Solano with two outs before John Buck drilled a ball to straightaway center. Stubbs leapt near the wall in front of the 418-foot sign for the final out.
Broxton’s second save in a Reds uniform salvaged the series finale — a 5-4 victory over the Marlins on Sunday afternoon in front of 24,983 at Marlins Park.
“I knew in this ballpark never to give up on it, because it’s so deep out there,” said Stubbs, who started the first two games of the series in center. “We were playing deep to start so the runner couldn’t go from first on a base hit. I was able to get back there in plenty of time. My only concern I had was that it was going to hit the side of the wall that juts in. But, fortunately, I was able to come up with that.”
Added Miami shortstop Jose Reyes: “The wall is high, and the ballpark is big. The ball that Buck hit, that’s a home run in any ballpark. So, I mean, what can we do?”
Zambrano, who fell behind each hitter, allowed a Heisey single and issued a walk to Joey Votto before Ludwick’s grounder found the hole at short.
Cincinnati currently sits 11 games in front of the Cardinals in the National League Central, and their magic number to clinch the division is five.
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