DUNEDIN—Back in November, the Miami Marlins began the annual revamp of their social media and marketing approach. While it might have been easy to miss the new fonts, designs, etc., to those who don’t pay attention to those sorts of things—unlike some nerds out there— they have fully leaned into one particular phrase for the 2026 season: “Fightin’ Fish.”
The term was popularized decades ago shortly after the team’s inception, but it got real legs again a season ago when Kyle Stowers said it to a stadium full of Marlins faithful following his Opening Day walk-off. “Fightin’ Fish” picked up more steam as the season rolled on. MLB’s youngest roster was projected to finish near the 100-loss mark scratched, only to claw to a 79-83 record on the backs of absurd comeback wins and all-around team performances to take down giants across the league.
As observed during Thursday afternoon’s 8-7 win in Dunedin against the reigning AL champion Toronto Blue Jays, the mantra indeed carried over from 2025, and it doesn’t stop at the big league level. Miami’s starting nine combined for only six hits and two runs. The improbable, late-inning rally was fueled by spring training non-roster invitees and even minor league camp players.
“The group that came in for the back half of that game for them to come out and play the way, it just shows a lot about not just what we saw a lot at the major league level last year, but also how guys go about it, I think just organizationally,” said Marlins skipper Clayton McCullough postgame. “We have a lot of players that just love to compete and play the game the right way.”
In the top of the eighth inning, a couple of walks, a hit by pitch and a single set the table for Jesús Sánchez trade acquisition Chase Jaworsky, and the 21-year-old delivered with a bases-clearing triple.
An inning later, a Bennett Hostetler single and Chris Arroyo RBI groundout put the Marlins on top, and for good, to clinch their third win of the spring.
“Fightin’ Fish,” added McCullough with a smile. “Our guys are proud of the fact that what we get known for is that you just hang in there and you play, you play every game out all the way ’til the end, no matter what. That’s your job. But, also it becomes you find yourself in some situations like today, where you do enough to find a way win games that didn’t look so so great there towards the end.”
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Brax is Back
It would be common practice to assume that once you’ve done anything 65 times, you would be quite comfortable doing said action. Alas, when said task is stepping on a major league mound and going opposite the best players in the world for the first time in nearly two years, it’s not that easy.
“I was definitely a little nervous,” said southpaw Braxton Garrett minutes after his first big league outing since June of 2024 and spring training appearance since 2023. “Adrenaline was going. I say nervous, but I’m really excited. It’s been a long time pitching on the big league mounds, where I’ve dreamed of my whole life. It’s been a long time, so I definitely felt some nerves getting back out there for the first time.”
The first-round pick from a decade ago enjoyed a sound 2023 campaign, making 31 starts while boasting a 3.66 ERA. Then the injury bug bit him repeatedly, just as he began to find his footing. Garrett didn’t make a start in the spring of 2024 due to a shoulder impingement before being sidelined a few months later with what ended up turning into his second Tommy John surgery in December 2024.
Although Garrett allowed two runs to pass due to shaky defense and back-to-back walks to kick off his start, there was much more gratitude than frustration once removed. The southpaw ended up going just one inning, allowing two hits and notching one strikeout looking.
“It felt awesome. It was really cool,” Garrett added. “Getting in front of the fans again, facing big league hitters. It’s a lot of fun, a lot of adrenaline—stuff I haven’t been used to in the last year. I was trying to get aggressive in the zone. I wasn’t very successful with that early. I’m not happy about that, but trying to keep good perspective. It’s been a long time since I’ve been out there. We got some stuff to work on, but we have a lot of time to do it.”
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Notes and Quotes
– Fish On First’s #1 and #13 prospects in Thomas White and Karson Milbrandt, respectively, made their spring debuts following Garrett’s departure. Like Garrett, White allowed two runs to score in contrast to Milbrandt’s two-strikeout, one-hit frame. A visibly frustrated White told the media his “mechanics felt off” with his four-seam, but something that will be focused on and corrected.
– Continuing a trend from a year ago, Liam Hicks produced with two outs and runners in scoring position in the third, plating Miami’s first run of the afternoon. “He had a great offseason,” said McCullough. “Right now, Liam just looks physically different, and we’re seeing the great early signs with he is getting some balls, and the authority which he’s hitting them to the pull side is a great sign that’s going to give us a chance to see Liam tap into some more power and some more slug to go along with already what is a really good ability to discern the strike zone and put the ball in play. And I think now he’s just gaining more confidence.”
– Stowers recorded his first Grapefruit League hit of 2026, a single up the middle against two-time All-Star Kevin Gausman in the first.
– Joe Mack picked up his third hit of the spring with a knock to right. The backstop is up to .429 with a grand slam in three games.
– Thursday’s matchup between Miami and Toronto was the first time the two have met in spring since 2009, and the first since at least 2003 that the Fish have traveled to TD Ballpark.
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Up Next
The Fish wrap up their once-a-year west coast trip down the road in Clearwater on Friday afternoon against the division rival Philadelphia Phillies. Robby Snelling is lined up to make his second start of the spring, coming off a 1-2-3 inning in game one against the New York Mets. First pitch from BayCare Ballpark is slated for 1:05.