Game 2: Pirates Edge Marlins 4-3 Behind Cruz’s Home Run
The Pittsburgh Pirates held off a late Miami Marlins rally to secure a 4-3 victory on Friday night, with Oneil Cruz’s two-run homer proving to be the difference. Andrew McCutchen added an RBI double, while Adam Frazier contributed a sacrifice fly in his return to the Pirates’ lineup.
Cruz set the tone in the fourth inning, drawing a leadoff walk before stealing second base and advancing to third on an error. Joey Bart followed with a walk, setting up McCutchen’s RBI double to left field that brought Cruz home. Bart then crossed the plate on Frazier’s sacrifice fly, giving Pittsburgh an early 2-0 lead.
The Pirates extended their advantage in the fifth when Tommy Pham reached on an error and stole second. Cruz then lined a two-run homer down the left-field line, sneaking the ball just inside the foul pole to make it 4-0.
Miami responded in the bottom of the fifth as Derek Hill scored on Graham Pauley’s double to right, cutting the deficit to 4-1.
The Marlins mounted a serious threat in the ninth inning when David Bednar, tasked with closing out the game, issued a leadoff walk to Matt Mervis. Otto Lopez then launched a two-run homer to pull Miami within one. However, Bednar recovered, inducing consecutive groundouts before striking out Hill to seal the victory.
Cruz’s two-run homer in the fifth gave the Pirates a crucial four-run cushion. The Marlins struggled with runners in scoring position, going 0-for-4 in those situations.
Adam Frazier made his first start for Pittsburgh since July 25, 2021, filling in at second base for Nick Gonzales, who was placed on the 10-day injured list due to an ankle injury.
The four-game series continues on Saturday with Pittsburgh sending left-hander Bailey Falter to the mound, while Miami counters with right-hander Valente Bellozo, making his first start of the season.
Game 3: Marlins Walk Off for Second Time in Three Days with 5-4 Win Over Pirates
The Miami Marlins secured their second walk-off victory in three days with a thrilling 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in 12 innings on Saturday night. Dane Myers played the hero, delivering an RBI single to right-center field that drove in Otto Lopez for the decisive run. Myers also made a crucial defensive play in the top of the 12th, throwing out Tommy Pham at home to keep the game tied before his game-winning hit off Tim Mayza.
Kyle Stowers had previously delivered a walk-off RBI on Opening Day to lift the Marlins to a 5-4 victory. On Saturday, Stowers, Myers, and Lopez each recorded three hits, while Derek Hill added two more to fuel Miami’s offense.
George Soriano (1-0), the seventh pitcher used by Miami, earned the win despite allowing two hits in the 12th. Joey Wentz (0-1) took the loss for Pittsburgh after intentionally walking Lopez to start the inning. The Pirates had an opportunity to escape the jam when Oneil Cruz misplayed Jonah Bride’s flyball near the wall in right-center, loading the bases. Xavier Edwards was forced out at home before Myers sealed the game with his opposite-field single.
The game remained tied at 3-3 through seven innings, with both teams adding a run in the 11th. One of the game’s key moments came in the eighth inning when pinch-hitter Griffin Conine made a spectacular leaping catch at the wall to rob Jack Suwinski of a potential go-ahead home run.
Miami continued its trend of late-inning scoring, adding two more runs in extra innings after plating five combined runs in the eighth and ninth innings of their first two games. However, the Marlins have struggled defensively in one key area, allowing 14 stolen bases in three games, including six on Saturday.
Up next the Marlins will send Max Meyer to the mound for the series finale on Sunday, while the Pirates will counter with Andrew Heaney, who is making his debut for Pittsburgh.
Game 4: Another Walkoff for the Marlins: Miami Stuns Pirates 3-2 in Ninth
For the third time in four days, the Miami Marlins walked off in dramatic fashion, capping off their opening series against the Pittsburgh Pirates with a 3-2 victory on Sunday afternoon at loanDepot park. Derek Hill scored the winning run from third base on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth, sealing another thrilling victory for the Marlins.
Pirates veteran Andrew McCutchen provided an early spark, launching a leadoff home run in the top of the second inning. The blast marked his 800th career extra-base hit, ranking him third among active players behind Freddie Freeman (885) and Paul Goldschmidt (833).
Miami responded quickly in the bottom half, as Nick Fortes delivered an RBI double to left field, driving in Hill to knot the score at 1-1 heading into the third inning.
Pittsburgh regained the lead in the fifth when Endy Rodriguez drew a leadoff walk and came around to score on an infield single by Isiah Kiner-Falefa, putting the Pirates ahead 2-1.
However, Miami evened the score in the seventh thanks to Griffin Conine, who blasted a solo home run to make it 2-2. The moment carried extra significance as Conine’s father, Jeff Conine, who helped the Marlins win World Series titles in 1997 and 2003, was inducted into the franchise’s Hall of Fame earlier in the day.
With the score tied in the ninth, Miami’s Kyle Stowers made a game-saving defensive play, sprinting to the warning track and making a difficult over-the-head catch to rob Enmanuel Valdez of extra bases and keep the game tied at 2-2.
Hill set the stage for another walkoff by drawing a leadoff walk in the bottom of the ninth. He promptly stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error. Moments later, Pirates closer David Bednar uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Hill to sprint home for the winning run.
With this victory, the Marlins became the first team since the 2003 Tampa Bay Rays to win their first three games of a season via walkoff.
The Marlins continue their homestand Monday as right-hander Cal Quantrill takes the mound to face the New York Mets in the first of a three-game series. Meanwhile, the Pirates head to Tampa Bay, where 26-year-old right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski will make his first start of the season against the Rays.
