When the Miami Marlins front office chose to hold onto right-handers Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera and Anthony Bender at Thursday’s Trade Deadline, it sent a clear message of belief in a young, scrappy roster. On Friday night, the Marlins responded with a comeback masterpiece for the ages.
In a wild, seesaw battle at loanDepot park, Miami erased multiple deficits and stunned the Yankees’ revamped bullpen for a dramatic 13–12 walk-off victory — the club’s eighth walk-off win of the season, tied for third most in the Majors. With the win, the Marlins climbed to 53–55, just two games under .500 for the first time since April 26, and stayed hot in the playoff race: since June 13, when they sat a season-worst 16 games under, they’ve gone an MLB-best 28–14 (tied with Milwaukee).
Down by two in the bottom of the ninth, Miami rallied yet again. Javier Sanoja singled and rookie Jakob Marsee — who had already doubled earlier for his first Major League hit — drew a walk off former Giants closer Camilo Doval. Otto Lopez then singled to right, and when the ball skidded under second baseman José Caballero’s glove, both tying runs scored and Lopez raced to third.
That set the stage for Agustín Ramírez, the rookie catcher acquired from the Yankees last summer in the Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade. Known for his power, Ramírez instead tapped a slow roller in front of the plate. Yankees catcher Austin Wells charged, but Lopez raced home on a perfect contact read and beat the tag, capping the improbable comeback.
“Every day this team shows fight,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said afterward. “You can’t teach that — they just have it.”
The game itself was one of the wildest ever played at the 14-year-old ballpark. Miami handed the Yankees their first road loss when scoring 12 runs or more since July 24, 1940 — an 84-year-old streak that dated back to a game against the St. Louis Browns. It was also the Yankees’ first nine-inning loss when scoring 12+ runs since August 12, 1973, against the Oakland A’s.
Trailing 9–4 in the seventh, Miami roared to life. Kyle Stowers launched his second grand slam of the season off newcomer Jake Bird, a towering shot that barely cleared left fielder Jasson Domínguez’s glove and brought the Marlins within a run. Moments later, Sanoja — generously listed at 5-foot-7 and with just one homer in 253 career plate appearances entering the night — ambushed former Pirates closer David Bednar’s fastball for a stunning game-tying solo shot. After Marsee’s double and Lopez’s RBI single, Ramírez added an RBI knock to left, putting the Marlins ahead 10–9.
The Yankees weren’t done: Anthony Volpe homered to lead off the eighth against Lake Bachar, and Bender, making his first appearance since Sunday, allowed two more in the ninth to put New York back in front 12–10. But the Marlins, as they have all year, refused to fold.
Friday marked Miami’s 27th comeback win of the season, a testament to a roster that’s young, relentless, and increasingly confident. With a surging record since mid-June and only seven games separating them from the final National League Wild Card spot, the Marlins’ season — once seemingly lost — is now very much alive.
And with more nights like Friday, it’s clear this team believes anything can happen.
