‘Amazing’: Walk-off grand slam a confidence booster for Marlins’ Heriberto Hernandez
Heriberto Hernandez wasn’t trying to do too much. He knew he didn’t have to do too much, despite the magnitude of the situation.
Just lift a ball in the air. Get it far enough for a sacrifice fly or somewhere that would find outfield grass.
He did much more than that.
Hernandez got all of a Devin Williams changeup that was nearly over the heart of the plate. He sent it a projected 416 feet to center field for a walk-off grand slam as the Miami Marlins beat the New York Mets 4-0 on Sunday at loanDepot park.
He is just the seventh player in MLB history to hit a walk-off grand slam to break a 0-0 tie, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The last time it happened was by the Kansas City Royals’ Justin Maxwell on Sept. 22, 2013, against the Texas Rangers.
“Amazing,” Hernandez said shortly afterward.
It’s a moment that provides some semblance of relief for Hernandez, who has gone through his share of struggles this season after being generally productive for the Marlins as a rookie in 2025. The outfielder hit .266 with a .785 on-base-plus-slugging mark, 10 home runs, 45 RBI and 40 runs scored last year.
But he got into a funk early in 2026. He was hitting just .159 through his first 22 games while platooning in the corner outfield spots. Miami optioned him to Triple A Jacksonville to find some consistency.
The message the Marlins gave him?
“Mostly about trusting yourself,” Hernandez said, “because the tools are there. The talent is there. It’s just a matter of just trusting what you’ve got and what you can do.”
Hernandez played a handful of games with the Jumbo Shrimp before being recalled back to the big league roster on May 7.
He appears to be turning the corner.
In eight games since May 10, Hernandez is hitting .333 (7 for 21) with two home runs and eight RBI. He has only started four of those eight games but has hits in three of the games in which he enters as either a pinch-hitter or defensive replacement.
“I’m just trying to help the team,” Hernandez said. “I know that I’m not playing every day, but in my heart, that’s what I want — just being able to help the team and contribute every time I’m out there.”
Hernandez, who entered the finale against the Mets as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning, did that on Sunday after his teammates put him in position.
Christopher Morel led off the ninth inning with a double to left field before Javier Sanoja moved him to third with a sacrifice bunt. Liam Hicks walked on six pitches and the Mets intentionally walked Xavier Edwards to load the bases with one out to set up force outs at every base.
Hernandez took a called strike on a low changeup before blasting the second offering he received to center field, although he wasn’t entirely sure that it was going to leave the yard.
“I didn’t think it was going to be a home run,” Hernandez said. “I thought it was going to go over the center fielder, but not as a home run.”
But it was, just scraping over the wall to send the Marlins’ dugout into a frenzy.
“Really happy for Bert,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “We saw him do a lot of fantastic things for us last year. ... He’s come through in moments for us in the past, and for him just to hang in there, he’s been ready to go every time his name has been called. He hasn’t gotten a whole lot of starts to get into a rhythm. I think he’s always ready to come off the bench and hit. I couldn’t be happier for him.”
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