Extended Box
MONTREAL (3) VS FLORIDA (4) - FINAL
MONTREAL ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
P Bergeron cf 4 1 1 0 1 3 2 .250
J Vidro 2b 5 1 3 2 0 1 0 .600
C Everett rf 4 1 2 0 1 2 2 .500
O Cabrera ss 5 0 1 1 0 1 5 .200
B Wilkerson 1b 3 0 0 0 1 2 4 .000
T Batista 3b 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000
T Sledge lf 2 0 0 0 2 1 0 .000
B Schneider c 4 0 0 0 0 1 4 .000
L Hernandez p 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
a-R Calloway ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.000
C Cordero p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
L Ayala p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
b-J Carroll ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Totals 35 3 8 3 5 11 19
a-singled to left for L Hernandez in the 7th; b-lined out to center for L
Ayala in the 9th.
BATTING: 2B - J Vidro (1, J Beckett); C Everett 2 (2, C Fox, A Benitez). HR - J
Vidro (1, 9th inning off A Benitez 0 on, 2 Out). RBI - J Vidro 2 (2), O Cabrera
(1). 2-out RBI - J Vidro. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - B Wilkerson
2, O Cabrera 1, P Bergeron 1, B Schneider 2. Team LOB - 10.
FIELDING: E - B Wilkerson (1, throw). DP: 1 (L Hernandez-O Cabrera-B
Wilkerson).
FLORIDA ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Pierre cf 3 0 2 0 1 0 1 .667
L Castillo 2b 4 0 0 0 0 2 3 .000
M Cabrera rf 4 1 1 0 0 1 2 .250
M Lowell 3b 3 1 1 0 1 0 1 .333
J Conine lf 4 1 1 0 0 2 4 .250
H Choi 1b 4 1 1 3 0 1 0 .250
R Castro c 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 .333
D Easley pr 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
M Redmond c 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1.000
A Gonzalez ss 4 0 1 0 0 2 1 .250
J Beckett p 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 .500
a-W Cordero ph 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 .000
C Fox p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
M Perisho p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
A Benitez p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
Totals 33 4 10 4 2 11 14
a-struck out looking for J Beckett in the 7th.
BATTING: 2B - M Lowell (1, L Hernandez). HR - H Choi (1, 2nd inning off L
Hernandez 1 on, 1 Out). RBI - H Choi 3 (3), M Redmond (1). 2-out RBI - M
Redmond. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - J Conine 2, L Castillo 2, A
Gonzalez 1. GIDP - J Pierre. Team LOB - 7.
BASERUNNING: Picked off - J Pierre (1st base by L Hernandez).
----------------------------------------------------
MONTREAL - 000 001 011 -- 3
FLORIDA - 020 000 02x -- 4
----------------------------------------------------
MONTREAL ip h r er bb so hr era
L Hernandez 6 5 2 2 1 8 1 3.00
C Cordero 1 2 0 0 1 2 0 0.00
L Ayala (L, 0-1) 1 3 2 2 0 1 0 18.00
FLORIDA ip h r er bb so hr era
J Beckett 7 4 1 1 3 9 0 1.29
C Fox (B, 1) 2/3 2 1 1 2 1 0 13.50
M Perisho (W, 1-0) 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.00
A Benitez (S, 1) 1 2 1 1 0 1 1 9.00
Pitches-strikes: L Hernandez 98-61; C Cordero 24-11; L Ayala 35-25; J Beckett
93-63; C Fox 24-11; M Perisho 3-1; A Benitez 21-13. Ground balls-fly balls: L
Hernandez 4-6; C Cordero 0-1; L Ayala 1-1; J Beckett 2-10; C Fox 0-1; M Perisho
1-0; A Benitez 0-2. Batters faced: L Hernandez 23; C Cordero 6; L Ayala 6; J
Beckett 28; C Fox 6; M Perisho 1; A Benitez 5.
UMPIRES: HP--Bruce Froemming. 1B--Marvin Hudson. 2B--Hunter Wendelstedt.
3B--Tim Timmons.
T--2:49. Att--55,315.
Weather: 78 degrees, partly cloudy. Wind: 14 mph, in from center.
How They Scored
FLORIDA 2ND: M Lowell doubled to left. J Conine struck out swinging.
H Choi homered to right, M Lowell scored. R Castro struck out looking.
A Gonzalez flied out to left. (2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) MONTREAL 0, FLORIDA 2.
MONTREAL 6TH: L Hernandez lined out to first. P Bergeron walked. J Vidro
doubled to right, P Bergeron scored. C Everett walked. O Cabrera struck out
swinging. B Wilkerson struck out looking. (1 Run, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)
MONTREAL 1, FLORIDA 2.
MONTREAL 8TH: M Redmond catching. C Fox relieved J Beckett. J Vidro struck
out swinging. C Everett doubled to right. O Cabrera singled to left,
C Everett scored. B Wilkerson walked. T Batista flied out to left. T Sledge
walked, O Cabrera to third, B Wilkerson to second. M Perisho relieved C Fox.
BSchneider grounded out to second. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors)
MONTREAL 2, FLORIDA 2.
FLORIDA 8TH: L Ayala relieved C Cordero. M Cabrera singled to left.
M Lowell flied out to left. J Conine singled to shallow right, M Cabrera to third.
H Choi grounded out to second, M Cabrera scored, J Conine to second. M Redmond
singled to left, J Conine scored. M Redmond to second on fielder's
indifference. A Gonzalez struck out looking. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors)
MONTREAL 2, FLORIDA 4.
MONTREAL 9TH: A Benitez relieved M Perisho. J Carroll hit for L Ayala.
J Carroll lined out to center. P Bergeron struck out swinging. J Vidro homered
to right. C Everett doubled to deep left center. O Cabrera fouled out to
first. (1 Run, 2 Hits, 0 Errors) MONTREAL 3, FLORIDA 4.
Game Story
MIAMI (Ticker) -- In their first game with the Florida
Marlins, Hee Seop Choi made the fans smile and Armando Benitez
made them sweat.
Choi hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs and Benitez
earned the save despite a shaky ninth inning as the Marlins
opened defense of their World Series title with a 4-3 victory
over the Montreal Expos.
Acquired in an offseason trade with the Chicago Cubs, Choi
became the 12th player to homer in his first at-bat as a Marlin
when he connected off former Marlin Livan Hernandez in the
second.
The last player to accomplish the feat was Miguel Cabrera
against Tampa Bay on June 20. Cabrera started an eighth-inning
rally on Tuesday when he singled and later came home on Choi's
grounder to second off Luis Ayala (0-1) that made it 3-2.
Mike Redmond drove in the second run of the inning with a single
and it proved to be a pivotal one for Benitez, whose erratic
performance landed him on three different teams last season.
Benitez allowed a two-out homer to Jose Vidro and a double to
Carl Everett before Orlando Cabrera hit a foul pop fly to first
baseman Choi to end the game.
Matt Perisho (1-0) worked out of a jam in the eighth for the win
after Chad Fox allowed an RBI single to Cabrera.
The blown save by Fox spoiled an outstanding performance by
Florida starter Josh Beckett, who allowed one run and four hits
in seven innings while striking out nine.
The game marked the first time that two World Series Most
Valuable Players opposed each other on Opening Day. Beckett was
the MVP of last season's World Series triumph over the New York
Yankees while Hernandez took the honors for the Marlins' win
over Cleveland in 1997.
Hernandez allowed two runs and five hits in six innings.
