The Miami Marlins used a decisive fourth-inning surge and timely late insurance runs to pull away from the Chicago White Sox for a convincing 9–2 victory Tuesday night, highlighted by Griffin Conine’s two-run homer in the eighth inning and another productive night from Liam Hicks.
Miami was held hitless through the first three innings before erupting in the fourth against Chicago starter Erick Fedde. Xavier Edwards broke up the no-hit bid with a single, and Agustín Ramírez followed with a double to set the table. Hicks then delivered a clutch hit down the first-base line that brought both runners home and sparked a four-run rally that flipped the game in the Marlins’ favor.
Defensive miscues by Chicago center fielder Luisangel Acuña compounded the damage moments later. After Owen Caissie singled home Hicks, Acuña committed his first throwing error attempting to cut down the runner at the plate. On the very next play, Heriberto Hernández singled to score Caissie, and another errant throw by Acuña allowed Miami to extend its lead to 4–2.
The Marlins kept the pressure on in the middle innings. With Hernández on third base later in the frame, Graham Pauley dropped down a bunt that led to another Chicago mistake when reliever Bryan Hudson overthrew a play at the plate, allowing Miami’s fifth run to score.
Chicago had jumped out early with a two-run second inning. Munetaka Murakami singled to bring home Edgar Quero, and Andrew Benintendi followed with a sharp line-drive single to right that scored Acuña for a brief 2–0 advantage. But after that early burst, the White Sox offense stalled against Miami’s pitching staff.
Marlins starter Janson Junk worked 4 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out five. Anthony Bender (1–0) earned the win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief, striking out one and issuing one walk while stabilizing the game during the middle frames.
Fedde (0–1) settled in after the fourth inning but still took the loss, finishing with three runs allowed over five innings. He struck out four and walked one across 80 pitches.
Miami continued to add insurance late. Hicks and Conine each produced sacrifice flies in the seventh and eighth innings, and Conine capped the night with a two-run homer in the eighth that sealed the victory and highlighted a balanced Marlins attack.
Hicks, who drove in two more runs Tuesday, now leads Major League Baseball with eight RBIs on the young season, continuing his early breakout at the plate.
After a quiet start through three innings, Miami’s offense found its rhythm and never looked back, combining timely hitting, aggressive baserunning, and capitalizing on Chicago’s defensive mistakes to secure a comfortable road win.
