Florida marches on

Pudge takes one for team in series-clinching win

? Ivan Rodriguez caught the throw from left field on one hop, stepped in front of the plate and braced for a collision.

Bearing down on the Florida catcher was J.T. Snow, son of a former NFL receiver. The ball, the game and a berth in the NL championship series were in Rodriguez’s hands — and he refused to let them slip away.

The 10-time All-Star’s helmet and mask went flying, but he made the tag for the final out, and the Marlins beat Barry Bonds and the San Francisco Giants, 7-6, Saturday, clinching their best-of-five division series, 3-1.

For the first time in postseason history, a series ended with the potential tying run thrown out at the plate, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

“It was a very tough play,” Rodriguez said on the field as teammates celebrated. “In that situation I’m just going to grab that ball in my glove. I don’t want to let that ball go out of my glove.”

He spoke while still clutching the ball.

With a typically dramatic victory, the wild-card Marlins moved into the NL championship series to face either the Chicago Cubs or Atlanta.

“This is a start,” Rodriguez said. “We have a great team, and I think we can go all the way.”

Dontrelle Willis and the Marlins blew a 5-1 advantage before rookie Miguel Cabrera helped them regain the lead in the eighth with an RBI single.

Rodriguez scored the go-ahead run, jarring the ball loose from catcher Yorvit Torrealba. When it scooted away, another run scored.

But the defending NL champion Giants weren’t done. They scored once in the ninth against closer Ugueth Urbina and had runners at first and second with two out when Jeffrey Hammonds singled to left.

A charging Jeff Conine fielded the ball on one bounce and threw to Rodriguez. Snow bowled over the catcher nicknamed “Pudge,” but Rodriguez held the ball.

He rose and was tackled again by a jubilant Urbina as Marlins mobbed each other, the scene accompanied by the roar of 65,464 fans, a record for a division series game.

Florida catcher Ivan Rodriguez tags out San Francisco's J.T. Snow on the final play of the game. Rodriguez survived the hard hit, and the Marlins defeated the Giants, 7-6, Saturday in Miami to win their NL division series, three games to one.

During Rodriguez’s 12 seasons with the Texas Rangers, they went 1-9 in playoff games, all against the New York Yankees. At 31, he found a limited market as a free agent last winter and settled for a one-year, $10 million contract with the Marlins.

The unlikely pairing is now a postseason sensation.

“This is what I’ve wanted for a long time,” Rodriguez said. “And there’s nothing better than me getting the last out.”

Rodriguez also picked Snow off first base in the sixth with the game tied. He drove in all four Marlins runs and threw out a runner in their 11-inning victory Friday.

“The guy does it all,” said Giants reliever Felix Rodriguez (no relation), who surrendered Florida’s two runs in the eighth. “Pudge won both games by himself. If they don’t have Pudge Rodriguez, they probably don’t have a chance. He’s the best catcher in baseball, and he made all the plays today.”

It was a triumph tough to imagine when 72-year-old manager Jack McKeon’s team trailed 1-0 in the series and 4-1 in the fifth inning of Game 2 — or when Florida was 19-29 in May. But the resilient Marlins will start the NLCS on the road Tuesday.

“They’re just exciting guys to be around,” McKeon said. “They’ve got that fire in their eyes. They’re never going to quit. You’re going to have to beat us.”

With the victory, the Marlins saved themselves a long trip to San Francisco for a decisive Game 5 today. They’ve won all four postseason series in franchise history, including the 1997 World Series.