Marlins Make History with Series Win

It was a day scripted straight out of a Hollywood baseball flick. On the afternoon Jeff Conine forever known as “Mr. Marlin” was inducted into the Marlins Hall of Fame, his son Griffin delivered a memorable chapter of his own, belting a game-tying solo home run in the seventh inning. Two frames later, Derek Hill raced home on a passed ball to seal a dramatic 3-2 walk-off victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates at loanDepot park, clinching the series and securing a spot in Major League Baseball’s record books.
The walk-off was the Marlins’ third in their first four games, a feat not accomplished in over two decades. Not since the 2003 Tampa Bay Rays has a team won its first three games in walk-off fashion, and the Marlins became just the fifth team in MLB history to do so in the opening series of a season—joining the Rays, the 1998 Mets, the 1914 Kansas City Packers, and the 1900 Cincinnati Reds.
“It speaks to their tenacity,” said first-year manager Clayton McCullough. “Our guys just hang in there. They grind through every at-bat and keep putting together plans. You see that especially in a long series, where the relievers get taxed and hitters start getting better looks.”
That grind-it-out mentality was on display all weekend, but perhaps no moment encapsulated it better than Sunday’s finale. After Griffin Conine’s towering 404-foot blast to left-center tied the game at two, the emotional atmosphere at the ballpark surged. With his father watching from the stands on his Hall of Fame day, Griffin’s heroics added a poetic touch to a game already steeped in nostalgia and pride.
“It’s hard not to get emotional in that moment,” Conine admitted. “The crowd, the energy, my dad—it was all just incredible.”
While the offense delivered the drama, the pitching staff quietly stitched together a strong effort, especially starter Max Meyer. In just his second big league start of the season, Meyer gave the Marlins 5 2/3 innings of gritty work, allowing just two runs and striking out a career-high-tying seven batters—all with his devastating slider. He helped preserve a bullpen that had been heavily taxed in Saturday’s 12-inning affair.
“The slider was really sharp today,” Meyer said. “When it’s working like that, it opens everything else up. I felt in control.”
Miami’s resilience was evident throughout the series. Opening Day saw them erase a 4-1 deficit before Kyle Stowers delivered the winning hit in the ninth. After a setback on Friday, Saturday’s epic saw Stowers again tie the game in the 11th, setting the stage for Dane Myers’ walk-off single in the 12th.
But it was Hill’s hustle that capped the historic start. Reaching base on a slow roller in the ninth, he promptly stole second and advanced to third on a poor throw. Moments later, he dashed home on David Bednar’s wild pitch, igniting the third dogpile in four days and another celebration under the Miami sun.
Now 3-1, the Marlins are off to a blazing start, a far cry from the 0-9 hole they found themselves in last season. But McCullough, while savoring the moment, is keeping the team grounded with the Mets arriving in town Monday.
“You flip the page quickly in this league,” he said. “It’s a new opponent and a new challenge, but I want our guys to carry that same mindset. You’re never out of a game.”
So far, the Marlins have been living proof.

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