MIAMI (AP) ― There was no protest and just one heckler. The only boos were directed toward the plate umpire, and by the eighth inning Ozzie Guillen’s Miami Marlins had the crowd in such a happy frenzy that the roar shook the clubhouse.
Guillen made a victorious return to the dugout Tuesday night, and pitchers Josh Johnson and Heath Bell snapped out of early-season slumps to help beat the Chicago Cubs 5-2.
When the dugout emptied and Guillen joined his players on the field for the postgame celebration, there were only cheers from the crowd.
“It was great to perform and hug Ozzie again,” Bell said. “We really want to win for him and try to put all that other stuff behind him.”
Guillen returned from a five-game suspension imposed after his comments praising Fidel Castro caused a backlash in South Florida, especially among Cuban Americans.
Johnson allowed two runs in seven innings and Bell earned the save after several rocky outings. Streaking Hanley Ramirez broke a 2-all tie with a three-run homer in the eighth, his third.
For Guillen, the win was a relief.
“Thank God this day is over with,” he said.
No demonstrations targeted at Guillen were evident, although a screaming fan in the second deck did call the Marlins manager an insulting name several times midway through the game.
Moyer, 49, wins game
Baseball’s old man is still fending off Father Time.
Jamie Moyer showed there remains a place for a vintage lefty in a young man’s game as the 49-year-old became the oldest pitcher to ever win a major league contest.
He threw seven strong innings and Dexter Fowler hit a two-run homer to help the Colorado Rockies beat the San Diego Padres 5-3 on Tuesday night.
“It’s a great night for the Rockies, as far as winning a baseball game. But it’s an historic night for one tremendous human being,” Rockies manager Jim Tracy said.
“It couldn’t happen to a better guy. A more professional person I don’t know I’ve been around.”
Moyer (1-2) was sharp all evening as he picked up his 268th career win, tying him with Hall of Famer Jim Palmer for 34th on the career list.
