Marlins rally twice, secure dramatic walk-off win over Yankees

Marlins’ president of baseball operations Peter Bendix ultimately believed in this surging ballclub enough not to disassemble it at the trade deadline.

Energized by the show of support, Marlins’ players validated that vote of confidence by delivering some magic Friday night — first during a surreal seventh inning that left the raucous crowd of 32,299 inside loanDepot park spellbound, then again in the bottom of the ninth of a 13-12 walk-off win against the Yankees.

“That was the craziest game all season,” said Marlins’ manager Clayton McCullough. “That was as fun and as special a win as we’ve had all season.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen fight like that from a team,” said Janson Junk, who started for the Marlins on the mound Friday.

In the ninth, two runs scored on Xavier Edwards’ single, knotting the score, and Edwards advanced to third on right fielder Jose Caballero’s fielding error. Then Edwards slid home safely on Agustín Ramírez’s dribbler about seven feet in front of home plate.

“I hit the ball so hard every time, and this time…” Ramírez said via team interpreter Luis Dorante Jr., laughing. “But it wins the game — this is most important.”

In the seventh inning, Kyle Stowers crushed a grand slam, Javier Sanoja (3-for-5, 3 RBI, 3 runs) followed with his second homer of the night, and Ramírez added an RBI single as the Marlins erased a five-run deficit and took a one-run lead.

The Bronx Bombers tied it up the next inning on Anthony Volpe’s homer off Lake Bachar and took a 12-10 lead with a pair of runs in the ninth against Anthony Bender. Once again, the Marlins charged back.

“That’s our group. We’re underdogs. Most nights, even when we’re playing well, to be honest, how many people around baseball are giving us a chance to win games? And that’s fine,” McCullough said.

“All season long, we’ve worried less about what others have thought about what we could or couldn’t do and within our clubhouse we’ve believed we could go out and play with anybody and we can win games in a variety of ways. We showed that tonight. Their fight continues to shine through.”

Marlins’ fans can only hope it’s a preview of the rest of this season with a roster that only lost catcher Nick Fortes and outfielder Jesús Sánchez to trades.

“I think I can speak for myself and the rest of the team, I’m pleasantly surprised that we only got rid of the two guys we did — we’ll definitely miss Forty and Sánchez, for sure, but I’m glad we could hold on to all of our pitching,” Edwards said. “It’s big time for the front office to stand behind us and believe in this group because we believe in ourselves.”

Bendix said he was busy right up to Thursday’s 6 p.m. deadline.

“It’s constant, especially the last 24 hours before the deadline,” Bendix said before the game. “It’s a phone call, a text message, or a conversation with our group — pretty much nonstop.”

In the end, the Marlins decided not to part with several integral pieces under team control, notably starting pitchers Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera.

“We continued to build on the plan that we’ve had, adding as much talent to this organization as we possibly can, getting the players that we have better, and really just continuing on this path that we’re really excited about,” Bendix said.

He indicated that the team’s success on the field, in part, played a role in the team’s decision to mostly stay pat at the deadline.

Of the team’s surge the past two months, he said, “I think the progress that we have seen from this group is nothing short of fantastic. It’s a testament to our coaches. It’s a testament to the players.”

He added, “It’s a proof of concept of what we’ve been saying since day one. It makes me incredibly excited for the future.”

McCullough said his team’s “very excited” to be able to “keep the majority of things intact.”

“We’ve been playing well now for the last couple of months,” McCullough said before the game. “To have this group here right now going forward for the last couple of months, no one wants to see teammates move along. And so I know a lot of them were comfortable here, happy here, and excited for hopefully we can continue to grow and play well as we continue on through the back half of the season.”

Alcantara said players wanted to avoid a roster shake-up and see what they can accomplish with their current group.

“Everybody’s happy the way we’ve been competing,” he said. “The way we’ve been winning games. Inside there, you can see in the clubhouse, in the dugout, it feels completely different.

Personally, Alcantara noted, “There’s nothing I wanted more than to stay in Miami.”

Alcantara said he expected to eventually see that he had been traded as he was “grabbing my phone every two seconds” while watching MLB Network at home with family.

“Yesterday was the hardest day I had ever,” he said. “I thought I was leaving. But I’m happy to be back in Miami. This is my home. I want to stay here.”

Bendix said he wouldn’t comment on specific conversations or negotiations regarding Alcantara, but added, “I just felt really comfortable with that decision.”

While Quantrill isn’t under team control, the Marlins still chose to hold onto him, Bendix said, because “he’s getting better and better over the course of the season” and “He’s a leader here.

“I think he’s a good example for a lot of our young players, especially our young pitchers,” Bendix added, “and he’s been helping us win games.”

THIS AND THAT

-Jakob Marsee was selected from Triple-A Jacksonville and made his MLB debut, starting in center field and batting ninth.

Marsee doubled to center field for his first career hit in the seventh inning and also drew three walks, becoming the first player in Marlins history to walk three times in his MLB debut.

“I got choked up a couple times on the drive here just thinking about the journey to get here, my parents, and everything they’ve done,” Marsee said before the game. “As soon as I walked out here, I was like, ‘All right, it’s time.’”

-Junk surrendered six runs on six hits — all in the fourth and fifth innings, including a three-run homer to former Marlin Giancarlo Stanton.

-Eric Wagaman broke up Yankees starter Carlos Rodón’s no-hit bid with a leadoff single to left in the fifth, and Javier Sanoja followed with a two-run homer to right.

-Right-hander Ryan Gusto, acquired from the Astros as part of the Jesús Sánchez trade, was optioned to Jacksonville.

-Left-hander Anthony Veneziano was designated for assignment.

-Shortstop Otto Lopez was named the Sports Info Solution’s Co-Defensive Player of the Month for July with the Rangers’ Adolis Garcia and Mets’ Luis Torrens.

This story was originally published August 1, 2025 at 11:07 PM.