FORT BRAGG, N.C. _ While the emphasis was on showing gratitude those who serve in the military in staging a major league game on an active base, Sunday's game carried considerable importance to the Miami Marlins in the business of baseball.
Battling to maintain their standing in postseason contention, the Marlins had lost four of five in a rocky beginning to a nine-game trip.
Once the pageantry and interaction with soldiers was concluded, the Marlins put their focus on baseball for a much-needed 5-2 victory before 12,582 at newly constructed Fort Bragg Field.
J.T. Realmuto capped a three-hit night with a home run in the ninth inning. The catcher scored three times and drove in two.
Christian Yelich, whose younger brother is in the U.S. Marines, had three hits and drove in a run. Martin Prado also had three hits as the top three hitters in the Marlins' lineup went 9-for-15.
Left-hander Adam Conley, coming off a rocky outing in Detroit, came through with six shutout innings while holding the Braves to four hits.
David Phelps, Fernando Rodney and A.J. Ramos completed the victory. But Ramos struggled again, giving up two runs in the ninth in a non-save situation.
The win gave the Marlins a split in the four-game series and was their fourth win in 12 games against the last-place Braves this season.
It was announced during the eighth inning that interest in the event had made the game the No. 1 trending top on Twitter.
The crowd chanted USA while the Braves batted in the bottom of the eighth. Earlier, when Japanese star Ichiro Suzuki batted as a pinch-hitter, they chanted "Ichiro, Ichiro."
Conley dueled with Matt Wisler through four tight innings before the Marlins broke through with two runs in the fifth when Adeiny Hechavarria tripled to the base of the wall in center. Realmuto delivered the first run on military base with a bloop single to right.
That began a string of three consecutive singles, with Yelich making it 2-0 with his third hit of the night.
Conley had to skirt trouble in the bottom of the inning on Realmuto's throwing error on a sacrifice bunt attempt put Atlanta runners on first and second with no outs. Realmuto was trying to cut down the lead runner at second but threw it into center field.
It was the fourth error of the series by the Marlins infield which had gone the previous 28 games without committing one.
But Conley worked out of the jam. After Freddie Freeman walked to load the bases with two outs, Conley got Nick Markakis, a frequent Marlins nemesis, on a grounder to short.
Conley walked only one but hit two batters. But he was equal to every threat the Braves threw at him.
Hot-hitting Freeman led off the fourth with a double to the wall in left and advanced to third on a bouncer to the mound. Conley looked at Freeman and had him hung up between second and third, but inexplicably elected to turn and throw to first.
Conley got a break when Adonis Garcia hit a bouncer to short with the infield in for the second out. He then got Jeff Francoeur to bounce into a force play to strand Freeman.
Braves shortstop Erick Aybar helped keep the Marlins from getting anything going in the early innings with two sparkling plays in the hole.
