A long day at the stadium got away from the Yankees quickly.

After they endured a nearly four-hour rain delay, the Yankees entered Sunday’s eighth inning with a one-run lead over the Miami Marlins and a chance to send the fans who waited out the weather home happy.

But the Marlins rallied for four runs against three relievers in that inning, dealing the Yankees a 7-6 loss in the Bronx.

Most of the damage came against Jake Bird, who surrendered three runs without recording an out.

“I gave them freebies,” Bird said. “You should never, ever give freebies. That’s not big-league baseball.”

The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Yankees (7-2) and denied them a three-game sweep of Miami (6-3).

The Yankees led, 4-3, going into the eighth, but the inning began to unravel when reliever Fernando Cruz issued a one-walk to Jakob Marsee.

Bird replaced Cruz but wasn’t any sharper, walking Otto Lopez on four pitches and then plunking pinch-hitter Griffin Conine to load the bases.

The right-handed Bird got ahead of pinch-hitter Graham Pauley with two quick strikes. But three pitches later, the lefty-swinging Pauley pulled a hanging sweeper into right field for a two-run double, putting Miami up, 5-4.

“He came in and just lost the zone there for a couple of hitters,” manager Aaron Boone said.

Bird had been among the bright spots in the Yankees’ hot start.

Acquired before last year’s trade deadline from the Colorado Rockies, Bird was quickly demoted after struggling in his initial Yankee stint.

But Bird made this year’s Opening Day roster and, entering Sunday, had not allowed a run in four appearances.

The Yankees’ bullpen was short-handed after closer David Bednar threw 33 pitches in Saturday night’s 9-7 win, leaving him unavailable for Sunday’s game.

Boone said he planned to use Camilo Doval in a high-leverage spot, but the Yankees’ bridge couldn’t get the ball to Doval.

Ryan Yarbrough replaced Bird, then gave up a two-run single to Xavier Edwards with the infield in to cap Miami’s rally. Bird was responsible for both of the baserunners who scored.

“I just need to be better about getting my breath and executing pitches,” Bird said. “I just didn’t do it right away. Had one get away from me after the walk. By then, it’s time to bear down, and I just didn’t do my job.”

Sunday’s Easter matinee was originally scheduled to start at 1:35 p.m., but because of the unrelenting rain, Yankees starter Max Fried did not throw the game’s first pitch until 5:10 p.m.

During the delay, the Marlins changed their pitching plans, opting to open the game with flame-throwing closer Pete Fairbanks before he returned to Florida to go on paternity leave.

The Yankees were unfazed, as Ben Rice put them ahead with a three-run home run against Fairbanks in the first inning. The 410-foot blast into the right-field second deck was Rice’s third home run of the season.

The Yankees tacked on another run in the third inning against right-hander Chris Paddack, who was originally scheduled to start for the Marlins.

Aaron Judge led off that inning with a booming double, and Cody Bellinger followed with a walk.

Rice then hit a potential double-play grounder to first baseman Connor Norby, but Norby’s throw sailed past the shortstop Lopez at second base, allowing Judge to score as the Yankees took a 4-1 lead.

That lead held up under Fried, who allowed three runs over 6.2 innings with five hits, three walks and four strikeouts.

Those were the first runs allowed this season by Fried, who totaled 13.1 scoreless innings over his first two starts.

“A lot of walks,” Fried said. “Just the little things. A couple of stolen bases that I wasn’t really paying attention to, allowed them to get into scoring position, and they were able to capitalize on it. Especially the bases-empty walks are definitely frustrating.”

The Yankees nearly came back in the ninth inning against Marlins reliever Anthony Bender, who was filling in at closer for Fairbanks.

After Bellinger and Rice walked, Jazz Chisholm Jr. delivered a two-out, two-run double that cut the Yankees’ deficit to 7-6.

But pinch-hitter J.C. Escarra struck out to end the game, leaving the tying run at second base and the winning run at first.

The Yankees finished 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base.

Boone did not believe the three-hour, 35-minute rain delay affected his team’s performance.

“That’s part of it, playing in the Northeast,” Boone said. “We’re used to days like this where you have those delays. If anything, coming off a long game last night, it probably gave us a chance to recover a little bit more.”

The Yankees are off Monday. They’ll look to return to the win column on Tuesday night, when they begin a three-game series against the A’s in the Bronx.