PHOTO: Soccer sensations Jordi Alba & Sergio Busquets bring star power to Marlins game at LoanDepot Park
The Miami Marlins survived a late scare against the San Diego Padres on Sunday to clinch the series finale by a 7-6 score. Ahead of the game, two of the biggest names in soccer graced LoanDepot Park.
Major League Soccer club Inter Miami's veteran Spanish duo Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets were present for the game on Sunday. The duo were honored by Miami with customized Marlins jerseys featuring their respective names and numbers.
The Miami Marlins shared the picture of the Spanish legends via their official Instagram account.
The Spanish duo, who are well accustomed to Miami due to their association with the MLS team, achieved global recognition for their achievements with Spain at the international level and with FC Barcelona at the club level.
While Alba won the European Championships with the Spanish team in 2012, Busquets completed the double by winning the World Cup in 2010 and the Euros in 2012.
Both players formed the spine of the all-conquering Barcelona team that racked up numerous accolades over the last 15 years. By the time Jordi Alba arrived at Barcelona in 2012, Busquets had already completed a treble as Pep Guardiola's iconic 2008-09 team.
However, Alba got his hand on a treble of his own when the Barcelona team featuring his compatriot secured the table for the second time in the 2014-15 season. Busquets announced his international retirement after the World Cup in 2022 and Alba followed suit in 2023.
Miami Marlins escape late Padres onslaught to clinch series finale
The San Diego Padres headed into the series finale on the back of a thrilling comeback win in the second game on Saturday. The Padres have made it a habit of coming from way behind in games this season and they nearly pulled off another spectacular comeback on Sunday.
Miami was in a comfortable position with a 5-1 lead after the end of the fifth inning. However, the Padres scored in four consecutive innings to bring the score to 7-6 in favor of Miami. The home fans were stunned after the Padres' Ha-Seong Kim hit the game-tying homer in the ninth.
However, the home run call was reversed as the ball bounced off the padding of the wall and the call was reversed to a double on an umpire's review. The Marlins held on to claim the narrow victory, ending the Padres' impressive seven-game winning streak.