Making just his sixth career start in the leadoff spot, Jesús Sánchez went 3-for-5 with four RBI in Monday’s walk-off thriller.
While Marlins starter Edward Cabrera was receiving treatment following his third consecutive outing in which he allowed only one walk, the team entered the bottom of the ninth inning trailing by one run. Down in the clubhouse, Cabrera turned to the training staff and said, “We need a walk-off right now.”
A few moments later, his wish came true.
With the Marlins down to their final strike in the bottom of the ninth, veteran outfielder Derek Hill extended the game with an automatic double to right field on an 0–2 pitch. Javier Sanoja then drew a four-pitch walk, bringing up Jesús Sánchez with the winning run on base. Facing Cubs flamethrower Daniel Palencia, Sánchez turned around a 101 mph fastball and ripped it down the right-field line, scoring both runners and securing an 8–7 walk-off victory for Miami.
It was the Marlins’ sixth walk-off win of the season—tied with the San Francisco Giants for the most in MLB—and improved their record to 19–27.
“It was a lot of fun,” said manager Clayton McCullough postgame. “Over the course of the season, we’ve found ourselves in a lot of those situations, and our guys have shown all year long that they’re incredibly resilient.”
The walk-off was the fourth of Sánchez’s career and his second this season. The 27-year-old, making just his sixth career start in the leadoff spot, said he was prepared for the high heat from Palencia.
“Fastball all the way. 101, 102—just fastball,” Sanchez said. “Looked to get ahead and luckily, I was able to.”
Sánchez is taking full advantage of his opportunity at the top of the order while Xavier Edwards remains on the injured list. He’s now 5-for-15 with four RBIs in the leadoff role.
“It’s a position that was given to me, so I’m just enjoying it,” he added. “I’m treating it like I’m batting second.”
Sánchez wasted no time making an impact Monday night, launching a 409-foot leadoff home run—the first of his career—that left his bat at 112.1 mph, his hardest-hit ball of the season. He became just the second player in Marlins history to record both a leadoff home run and a walk-off hit in the same game, joining Hanley Ramirez (August 7, 2010 vs. St. Louis).
Rookie phenom Agustín Ramírez followed Sánchez with a solo home run of his own, staking Miami to an early 2–0 lead.
Cabrera, meanwhile, started strong—retiring 12 of the first 15 batters he faced and striking out six—before running into trouble in the fourth. With two outs and two on, Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya connected for a three-run homer to give Chicago a 3–2 lead.
The game turned into a back-and-forth battle from there. Miami answered with four runs in the fifth inning, highlighted by an RBI triple from Liam Hicks. But Chicago quickly responded with four runs of their own in the sixth off reliever Jesús Tinoco, retaking the lead at 7–6.
From there, Miami’s bullpen held strong. Right-hander Valente Bellozo delivered three clutch scoreless innings in relief to keep the deficit at one and give the Marlins a chance in the ninth.
“He’s such a bulldog,” McCullough said of Bellozo. “He does so many things. He holds runners, he throws strikes, goes multiple innings and doesn’t let any moment get too big for him.”
Bellozo’s three shutout inning bridged the gap to Miami’s dramatic ninth inning, capped by Sánchez’s game-winner.
The Marlins will look to secure the series win on Tuesday night when left-hander Ryan Weathers makes his second start of the season against Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon.