Giancarlo Stanton’s bat — and legs — help Yankees outlast Marlins
NEW YORK — The Yankees had to scratch and claw thanks to some poor pitching performances on Saturday night, but Giancarlo Stanton helped them come away with a 9-7 win over the Marlins in the Bronx. The designated hitter played the part of hero, knocking a two-run single in the bottom of the eighth inning. The hit, which seemed playable for shortstop Otto Lopez as it hopped past him, came after Camilo Doval gave up a game-tying, two-run double to Javier Sanoja in the eighth inning, and before Ben Rice scored an insurance run on a passed ball.
That insurance run came in handy, as David Bednar permitted an RBI single to Xavier Edwards in the ninth after Jazz Chisholm Jr. took his time with an inning-opening grounder, allowing a leadoff base runner. Stanton also manufactured an unlikely run in the seventh inning, as he walked and stole second with the Marlins declining to hold him on.
The slow slugger — who had not swiped a bag in the regular season since 2020 — then advanced to third on a groundout before scoring on a passed ball. The aggressive baserunning had the Yankees’ dugout hyped, as Gerrit Cole, Will Warren and others threw their hands up and smiled wide as Stanton crossed the plate. Cody Bellinger played a large part in erasing what was initially a 4-0 Miami lead as well, as he got the Yankees on the board with his first homer of the year, a two-run shot off Max Meyer, in the fifth inning.
The left fielder added a go-ahead sac fly in the sixth frame, which also included back-to-back RBI singles from Trent Grisham and Aaron Judge. Earlier in the chilly evening, the Yankees didn’t get much from their starter, as Ryan Weathers surrendered three earned runs over 3 2/3 innings against the team that traded him in January. The southpaw also tallied six hits, three walks, four strikeouts and 88 pitches.
The Marlins irritated their one-time employee quickly, as Weathers allowed a 68. 5-mph single to Lopez with two outs and a free pass already issued in the first inning. Heriberto Hernández then ripped a 107.