MIAMI (AP) – The Marlins walked half a block alongside a hearse carrying their ace away from Marlins Park at the start of a funeral motorcade Wednesday, and then peeled away with watery eyes to go back inside and play a game.
Drained by four days of grieving Jose Fernandez’s death, they didn’t have much left for the New York Mets.
Jay Bruce hit his 32nd home run, James Loney also homered and the Mets helped their NL wild-card chances by beating Miami 5-2.
New York began the night leading the Giants by half a game and the Cardinals by 1 1/2 games in the race for the two wild-card spots. The Mets conclude the regular season with three games at Philadelphia starting Friday.
The Marlins’ loss in their home finale eliminated them from playoff contention. Despite high hopes this year, they still haven’t been to the postseason since 2003.