Eddy Alvarez’s ‘unbelievable ride’ continues with first home run in Marlins win over Braves

Eddy Alvarez took a moment to admire his work. In the second inning of the Miami Marlins’ 6-4 win over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night, Alvarez launched a 2-1 fastball that Charlie Morton threw over the heart of the plate to right field. He raised his bat in the air as he watched the ball soar and right fielder Jorge Soler stop running, knowing no play could be made, before beginning his trot around the bases.

When he got to the dugout, the final step of his home-run celebration began.

“A surprisingly great reaction,” said Alvarez, who simply called the feeling “epic” and appreciated the “meaningful hugs” he received from his teammates. “I never in a million years thought that I would get the feedback that I got. ... it just shows me that they understand the road and the journey that it took for me to get to where I am now. I’m going to get a little emotional now because it means a lot.”

The reaction may have caught him off guard, but he did dream of this moment.

And it became the latest individual milestone for him in a whirlwind year, a little over a month after he became just the sixth athlete ever to win Olympic medals at both the Summer and Winter Games after winning silver with USA baseball at the Tokyo Olympics.

“I kind of don’t even want to shower,” Alvarez, 31, said after the game. “This has been an unbelievable ride. It’s hard to really put into words. ... I’m just trying to be the best person I can be on and off the field. I’m just going to keep going. That’s been my motto since I was younger, through all adversity and all obstacles.”

That path has led him back to Major League Baseball. He got a taste of what it was like to be a big leaguer last season when he played 12 games for the Marlins in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. This came after a detour from baseball to pursue speed skating, a discipline in which he won a silver medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

He has an appreciation for what it takes to play up here, an understanding of the mental toughness required in addition to the pure skill level.

“The goal was to get back here,” Alvarez said Tuesday at loanDepot park when his contract was selected and he was added to the Marlins’ roster, “and I’ve been presented this opportunity, so now it’s just to kind of go about my business. ... I’m ready for this opportunity again.”

He’s shown it over this past week and specifically on Saturday.

In addition to the home run, Alvarez made a pair of great plays as Miami’s starting third baseman.

The first came in the first inning with a runner on first base. He was in the shift and dove to his left to grab a Freddie Freeman ground ball, spun and got the force out at second base. In the third, he made a running grab on a Soler chopper and quickly threw him out at first base.

And then in the ninth inning, he scored an insurance run for the Marlins when he reached on a fielder’s choice, moved to third on an Isan Diaz pinch-hit single, and scored — diving head first — on a Miguel Rojas bunt, beating the tag by Braves catcher Travis d’Arnaud.

“Eddy was kind of all over,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said, “and that’s what you see from Eddy.”

The biggest adjustment Alvarez plans to make this time around in the big leagues: Slowing the game down and controlling his emotions. Playing at the Olympic level helped him with those facets of his game.

“I’ve never been in a situation where winning was the only goal, that no individual stat mattered,” Alvarez said. “That experience was a life lesson in itself, and it’s something that I really appreciated to be able to translate into this side of the game now. So take it a step at a time.”

More rookie home runs

Alvarez’s home run was the start of a home run fest for the Marlins (60-82) at Truist Park. Outfielders Bryan De La Cruz and Jesus Sanchez, two of Alvarez’s fellow rookies in the starting lineup, hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth inning to give Miami the lead for good. De La Cruz’s home run was his fourth of the season. Sanchez hit his ninth and has two homers this series.

The Marlins scored two runs in the top of the first on a De La Cruz RBI single and Lewis Brinson sacrifice fly.

De La Cruz recorded three hits, his fifth three-hit effort in 38 games since making his MLB debut.

Rough fifth for Hernandez

The eighth-inning home runs from De La Cruz and Sanchez came after the Braves (75-66) rallied in the fifth against Elieser Hernandez to tie the game.

Like Trevor Rogers on Friday, Hernandez cruised through the first four innings. He held the Braves to three hits and a walk, including a 0-for-5 mark with runners in scoring position.

But trouble brewed in the fifth. Charlie Morton, the Braves’ starting pitcher, hit a one-out double to start Atlanta’s rally and turn over the lineup. After an Ozzie Albies flyout moved Morton to third, Hernandez gave up three consecutive RBI hits — a Soler double to right field, Freddie Freeman single through the right side (with Freeman reaching second on a throw home) and Austin Riley single to left — to tie the game.

Hernandez has a career .364 batting average against (28 for 77) the third time through a batting order.

“If you make mistakes,” Hernandez said, “you’ll pay for it.”

His bullpen backed him up. Zach Pop, Anthony Bass, Anthony Bender kept the game scoreless through the eighth, long enough for the Marlins to rebuild their lead. Dylan Floro held Atlanta to one run in the ninth to pick up his 10th save of the season.

This story was originally published September 11, 2021 at 10:44 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.