MIAMI—The Miami Marlins opened their home series versus the New York Yankees with a packed stadium and gave the fans a show they’ll never forget. In arguably the wildest game of this entire MLB season, the Marlins landed the final punch in walk-off fashion to win, 13-12.
“It speaks highly of the character, the resilience, and the compete that our group has to come out on top,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said after the dramatic comeback. “That was certainly as fun and special a win as we have had all season.”
The Yankees looked like they were well on their way to victory after they took a 6-0 lead thanks to a Giancarlo Stanton three-home run in the top of the fourth inning and a three-run fifth. Stanton smoked a screaming line drive for his first homer in Miami since 2017, which was his MVP season with the Marlins.
After the Yankees made it 6-0, the Marlins’ offense woke up. Eric Wagaman broke up Carlos Rodón’s no-hitter with a base knock to left field. Javier Sanoja would break up the shutout with a two-run opposite-field home run. The Marlins would continue to score with a pinch hit single to shallow centerfield by Liam Hicks, making it 6-4.
The Yankees would respond with another three-run home run from Trent Grisham that rang off the top of the foul pole in right field. The Yankees had a comfortable 9-4 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh…or so they thought.
The Marlins’ offense had a massive bottom of the seventh against two newly acquired bullpen arms for the Yankees. Former Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Jake Bird made his Yankees debut and had a bad first experience in the pinstripes. Bird was only able to record one before giving an opposite-field grand slam to All-Star outfielder Kyle Stowers.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone went to the bullpen and brought in another new bullpen arm, hoping to keep the game 9-8. Former Pirates relief pitcher David Bednar made his Yankees debut and also had a bad first experience. Sanoja stepped up to the plate with the bases empty and did the unthinkable, a no-doubt home run to tie the game. It was Sanoja’s first multi-homer game of his MLB career, and he entered the game with just one home run on the season.
The Marlins still weren’t done yet as Jakob Marsee, who made his MLB debut, recorded his first hit with a double to center field.
Xavier Edwards also reached base on an infield single, setting up the former Yankees prospect, Agustin Ramírez, with an opportunity to give the Marlins the lead. Ramírez came through with a frozen rope to left field that scored Marsee and gave Miami a 10-9 lead.
The Yankees would still not quit. Shortstop Anthony Volpe immediately blasted a no-doubt home run in the top of the eighth to tie the game 10-10. The action once again pick up in the ninth inning.
With two outs in the ninth, Ben Rice came off the bench and got his offense going with a single through the right field. Rice was pinch-run for by José Caballero, who easily stole second to get into scoring position for Ryan McMahon. The former Rockies third baseman would deliver with an RBI single up the middle, giving New York an 11-10 lead. Volpe would add another insurance run with an RBI double to center field. Volpe had a monster performance for the Yankees. He went 4-for-5 with a double, a home run, two RBIs, and three runs scored in the series opener.
Down 12-10 in the bottom of the ninth, the Fish needed to score at least two runs to keep the game alive. Javier Sanoja would stay hot at the plate with a one-out single to LF. Sanoja went 3-for-5 with two dingers and three RBIs. It was Sanoja’s first three-hit game of the season since April 20 against the Phillies.
“He loves the moment and whether it’s something he does definitely or a big at-bat, he’s a tough as anyone who I have in that clubhouse,” McCullough said about Sanoja after the game. “The energy he brings is such a luxury to have.”
Marlins outfielder prospect Jakob Marsee would have another excellent at-bat in the bottom night, drawing a walk and putting the tying run on base. Marsee impressed in his first MLB game. The 24-year-old outfielder went 1-for-2 with three walks and scored three times in his debut.
“The strike zone control and discipline came as advertised,” McCullough said about Marsee’s debut. “He saw the ball beautifully tonight, laid off tough pitches, worked the counts, and drove the ball into the gap.”
With two runners on, the Marlins had the top of the order up with Edwards at the dish. The Broward County native clutched up with an RBI single through the right side, but then pandemonium happened. José Caballero stayed in the game to play right field and made a costly error in the bottom of the ninth.
Caballero let the ball go under his glove and rolled past him. Marsee easily scored from first, and Edwards advanced to third and tied the game. With the winning run just 90 feet away, Ramírez had another chance to deliver for the Fish. The power-hitting catcher hit a dribbler that traveled one foot, according to Baseball Savant. However, it was deep enough to score Edwards, who was going on contact, and the Marlins pulled off the craziest walk-off win maybe in franchise history.
With a packed stadium, this young Marlins team delivered and gave their fans a game they will never forget. This ball club has been on a roll for close to two months and pulled off an incredible win against a team that has World Series aspirations. This game will go down as an instant classic and one of the best games in Marlins history. The fans might have witnessed history tonight, and it should entice them to come back another day and watch this team fight day in and day out.
What’s next?
The Marlins are back on the diamond Saturday afternoon for the second game in their home series versus the Yankees. Right-handed pitcher Eury Pérez will be on the mound.
Pérez has pitched very well in his first couple of months back from Tommy John surgery. The 22-year-old right-hander has posted a 3-3 record in nine starts. He has a 3.07 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 2.75 FIP, 143 ERA+, and 46 strikeouts in 44 innings pitched.
The Yankees will also hand the ball to the youngest pitcher in their rotation. Right-handed pitcher Cam Schlittler will get the start for the Yankees. Schlittler has posted a 1-1 record with a 4.91 ERA, 1.85 WHIP, and 15 strikeouts in 14 ⅔ innings pitched. The first pitch for Saturday’s game is at 4:10 pm EST.