A.J. Ellis hacked away, fouling off pitch after pitch after pitch. Eventually, after 10 fouls and two balls, he worked the count full.
With a runner on second, two outs and facing his 14th pitch, Ellis needed a hit — almost any hit — to break a tie game in the seventh inning.
And he delivered.
His single to center field off a 99.8-mph fastball drove in Derek Dietrich, gave the Marlins the lead and proved to be the difference in Miami’s 6-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon. The win was Miami’s ninth in its past 12 contests and gave it the series victory over Arizona.