Mets walk-off Marlins in game that started more than four months ago to open doubleheader

For four months, 19 days, 23 hours and 55 minutes, time stood still for a baseball game at Citi Field.

But so much for the Miami Marlins has changed between the start of that April 11 game that began in pouring rain against the New York Mets and was put on hold after just nine pitches and when it officially resumed on Tuesday afternoon.

Five players from the Marlins’ starting lineup when the game started are no longer on the roster, the entire outfield traded away, the starting pitcher traded and the starting catcher designated for assignment. Two bench players from that game are on the injured list. Seven other pitchers outside the original starter, whether via trade, option to the minor leagues or injury, aren’t on Miami’s current active roster either.

Meanwhile, three players on the Marlins’ roster when the game resumed hadn’t made their MLB debuts (two weren’t even part of the Marlins organization) when the game started back in April. Two others had yet to hit their first big-league home run. Their new starting pitcher for the game was in the first week of his first injured list stint of the season.

“It’s definitely unique,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said.

After all that waiting, and with all that turnover that took place, the Mets walked off the Marlins 6-5.

Miami’s bullpen imploded in the ninth with a four-run lead. Anthony Bass gave up a two-run home run to Brandon Nimmo, Richard Bleier allowed up a pair of two-out hits to Dominic Smith (an infield single because of the shift) and Pete Alonso (a double). Dylan Floro gave up an RBI infield single to Javier Baez and a walk-off two-run single to Michael Conforto to seal the loss. Baez, who the Mets acquired at the trade deadline in July, scored the winning run on a fielding error from Jorge Alfaro.

“We’re trying to go out there and do the same thing we’re trying to do in April or every other month from there. We’re trying to get a W,” Floro said. “These hurt when you’ve got to lead all game and towards the end, you lose it. It’s frustrating, especially coming from a guy from the bullpen. It doesn’t matter when the game is, if it’s October or April or whatever it is. You’re trying to get a W. That’s the game plan no matter what.”

The game plan fell short in the final inning.

The Marlins are now 55-77. The Mets improve to 64-67.

How the Marlins changed their lineup

Miami had to make a handful of changes to its lineup before the teams took the field.

Alfaro took over for left fielder and leadoff hitter Corey Dickerson, who began the game with a single off Marcus Stroman and was on first base when play was suspended back in April. The Marlins traded Dickerson and reliever Adam Cimber to the Toronto Blue Jays on June 29.

Jackson, who the Marlins acquired from the Atlanta Braves in the Adam Duvall trade at MLB’s July 30 trade deadline, started at catcher in place of Chad Wallach and batted second. Jackson reached twice on a fifth-inning hit by pitch and sixth-inning walk and scored both times.

Jesus Sanchez, who was recovering from injury at the Marlins’ alternate training site when the game originally took place, took over in right field with Duvall no longer on the roster and batted fifth.

Rookie outfielder Bryan De La Cruz, who the Marlins acquired on July 28 from the Houston Astros in the Yimi Garcia trade, took over in center field for the since-traded Starling Marte and batted eighth. He had an RBI single in the second.

And Hernandez, who was on the injured list with right biceps inflammation when the game began in April, took the mound in place of John Curtiss, who was the originally listed starter and has since been traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. Hernandez held the Mets to one run — a Jonathan Villar solo home run — over five innings. He struck out four, allowed five hits and a walk and ended his time on the mound by striking out Alonso with the bases loaded in the fifth.

“It was a feeling of ‘I did it,’” Hernandez said. “It doesn’t matter who’s at the plate at that moment. The plan is just to get them out.”

Hernandez threw 83 pitches, 56 of which went for strikes. His four-seam fastball topped out at 93.8 mph, the fastest he has thrown it all season.

The bullpen had three scoreless innings — Ross Detwiler pitched a clean sixth, Steven Okert had 1 2/3 scoreless innings and Bass finished the eighth — before the ninth-inning implosion.

The rest of the Marlins’ lineup had to remain the same. Aguilar batted third and played first base. Brian Anderson batted fifth and played third base. Jazz Chisholm Jr. batted sixth and played second base. Miguel Rojas batted seventh and played shortstop.

Quirky stats

With all stats from this game being counted for a game played on April 11, some career milestones have to be adjusted.

For example, De La Cruz’s RBI single in the second inning that scored Rojas now becomes his first career MLB hit and RBI even though he technically didn’t join the Marlins organization until three-and-a-half months later.

Also, Chisholm’s two doubles now give him an eight-game hit streak from April 10-18. The game also goes down as the first three-hit game of Chisholm’s MLB career (a feat he has only accomplished one other time, on Aug. 28 against the Cincinnati Reds).

Up next

The Marlins and Mets play their originally scheduled game for Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. Edward Cabrera and Trevor Williams are the starting pitchers.

Since the second game is part of a doubleheader, it will only be seven innings.

This story was originally published August 31, 2021 at 5:12 PM.

Jordan McPherson

Miami Herald

305-376-2129

Jordan McPherson covers the Miami Hurricanes and Florida Panthers for the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and covered the Gators athletic program for five years before joining the Herald staff in December 2017.