Emmanuel Rivera came off the bench to hit a game-winning single in the 10th inning, and the Miami Marlins defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 7-6 on Sunday.
Rivera’s hard hit grounder bounced off the glove of Phillies reliever Gregory Soto (0-1) and into right field, allowing Nick Fortes to score from second base.
Rivera emphasized the importance of being prepared from the beginning of the game and being ready for any situation that may arise, whether it's an injury or a late entrance.
Rivera missed a signal to bunt and advance base runners, but he managed to hit the ball on a 1-0 pitch from Soto, eventually earning his first career walk-off RBI despite having a second strike called on him.
Rivera explained that his strategy after reaching a count of two strikes was to simply make contact with the ball.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. doubled and tripled, while Bell hit a home run for the Marlins, who halted a five-game losing streak and began the day with a league-worst 10-31 record.
The Phillies, who entered Sunday with the best record in the major leagues at 28-12, suffered only their third loss in the past 16 games.
Anthony Bender (1-2) pitched a scoreless top of the 10th after issuing two walks.
Trailing 6-3, Philadelphia tied the game with Edmundo Sosa’s two-run triple and Brandon Marsh’s sacrifice fly off Miami reliever Andrew Nardi in the sixth.
Phillies starter Zack Wheeler gave up a season-high six runs and was removed after four innings. Wheeler allowed six hits, walked three, and struck out two.
“They seemed more aggressive today,” Wheeler remarked. “I didn’t have the control I wanted, and they took advantage. I felt good overall; I just couldn’t get into a rhythm.”
Braxton Garrett made his season debut for Miami, pitching 5 1/3 innings and conceding five runs. The left-hander, who spent the first six weeks of the season on the injured list, allowed five hits and recorded eight strikeouts. This game was Garrett's first outing since yielding two runs over three innings in Miami’s NL wild-card series loss against the Phillies in October.
Bell’s three-run homer in the third propelled Miami to a 4-3 lead. The Marlins then extended their lead in the fourth as Christian Bethancourt’s sacrifice bunt drove in Vidal Brujan from third, followed by Chisholm's RBI triple.
Marlins manager Skip Schumaker expressed satisfaction with the team's disciplined at-bats and adept execution of small ball tactics. He indicated that this approach would be essential for scoring runs, emphasizing that the team would not rely solely on power hitting.
The Phillies quickly gained an advantage with Nick Castellanos’ three-run homer in the first inning, as he sent the first pitch from Garrett over the left-center wall for his fourth home run of the season and second of the series.
“I was pleased with how I rebounded after the first inning,” Garrett said. “I continued to improve with each inning where I kept the opposing team from scoring. I hit a snag in the sixth inning, but I will strive to overcome that in the future.”
The Marlins closed the gap with Jesús Sánchez’s RBI double in the second inning. Sanchez used a different bat for the hit, which bounced off the warning track in center field. Prior to this, his bat had landed 10 rows above the Phillies’ first base dugout after missing a fastball from Wheeler.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Phillies: Kyle Schwarber, who has a sore back, didn't play for the second game in a row. … J.T. Realmuto, the catcher, had the day off.
Marlins: JT Chargois, who has neck spasms, was moved to the 60-day injured list. … George Soriano was sent to Triple-A Jacksonville.
UP NEXT
Phillies: Cristopher Sánchez, with a 3.22 ERA and a 2-3 record, will pitch the first game of a two-game series against the New York Mets on Monday. Sean Manaea, with a 3.31 ERA and a 2-1 record, will pitch for the Mets.
Marlins: Sixto Sánchez, with a 7.50 ERA and a 0-1 record, will pitch the first game of a three-game series in Detroit on Monday. Matt Manning, with a 4.24 ERA and a 0-1 record, will pitch for the Tigers.
