On Japanese Heritage Night at loanDepot park, the Miami Marlins defeated the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers with a 5-4 walk-off victory in 10 innings, thanks to a clutch hit by Jesús Sánchez. Despite a standout performance by Shohei Ohtani, the Marlins secured their first win of the season against the Dodgers in dramatic fashion.
“It was exhilarating,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said postgame. “It was a really fun game, especially with the number of players that contributed on both sides offensively.”
Right-hander Cal Quantrill delivered his strongest outing since joining Miami, holding the Dodgers to just one run over five innings. The Marlins took an early lead in the bottom of the fifth, when Quantrill’s battery-mate and fellow Canadian, Liam Hicks, belted a two-run home run to put Miami ahead 2-1.
“That’s my Canadian guy,” Quantrill said postgame with a smile. “I appreciate my catchers and I think they’ve worked really hard back there, and it’s important to let them know they’re valued.”
The lead was short-lived. On the first pitch of the sixth inning, Ohtani launched a hanging slider from Anthony Veneziano into the upper deck in right field. The solo shot, which left his bat at 109 mph and traveled 403 feet, tied the game at two and ignited the crowd of 17,312—many of whom were Dodgers fans.
Moments later, notorious Marlins-killer Freddie Freeman followed with a home run of his own, giving the Dodgers a 3-2 lead. It was Freeman’s 42nd career homer against Miami, surpassing Ryan Howard and Ryan Zimmerman for the most all-time by a single player.
“Freddie is an exceptional hitter,” McCullough added. “An exceptional baseball player who knows how to slow things down and never let the moment get too big.”
But Miami, as they have all year, refused to fold. In the bottom half of the sixth, Connor Norby and Dane Myers each drove in a run to quickly retake the lead, 4-3.
“This is who we are—we never give up,” Myers said. “Fighting Fish, like we like to say.”
Ohtani wasn’t done. In the seventh, with a runner on first and one out, the two-way superstar delivered again, lining an RBI double to tie the game at four.
From there, Miami’s bullpen took over. Calvin Faucher, Anthony Bender, and Jesús Tinoco combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings, keeping the Dodgers at bay and setting the stage for the walk-off.
In the bottom of the 10th, the Marlins loaded the bases with no outs. With the Dodgers deploying a five-man infield, Sánchez remained composed and delivered the game-winning hit.
“With five infielders, I just focused on making contact,” said the Dominican outfielder after his heroic moment.
It was the Marlins’ fifth walk-off win of the season, improving their record to 14-21. Miami will look to secure the series victory on Wednesday afternoon, with right-hander Valente Bellozo set to make the start.
