ATLANTA — The game was all but finished. The Miami Marlins were three outs away from clinching their third consecutive series against the Atlanta Braves and their seventh overall win in 10 tries against their division rival this season. They had their closer on the mound with a four-run lead.
And then it unraveled in the bottom of the ninth.
And it only got worse after that.
The Braves scored four runs against Yimi Garcia to tie the game and then finished the rally in the 10th when pitcher Max Fried hit a pinch-hit, bases-loaded, two-out, walk-off single against Anthony Bass for an 8-7 Atlanta win at Truist Park on Sunday.
It undid the work the Marlins’ offense did, a three-hit, four-RBI effort from Adam Duvall and ninth-inning home runs from Sandy Leon and Jesus Aguilar to build the lead.
It undid the work the pitching staff did up to that point, with Zach Thompson holding the Braves to three runs over six innings and the duo of Richard Bleier and Anthony Bender keeping Miami’s lead intact through the eighth.
In a span of 38 pitches and 10 batters in the bottom of the ninth, the Marlins’ lead was erased.
One inning, five more batters and 13 more pitches later, the Braves’ finalized the Marlins’ improbable loss.
“This is not an easy one to take,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said.
We’ll get to the 10th in a moment.
First, a look at how the Marlins (35-47) got into the position where extra innings were required.
The ninth started simple and painless enough. Miami scored three runs in the top half of the inning on a solo home run from Leon and a two-run homer from Aguilar to build a four-run cushion on Atlanta. Duvall, who is now batting .500 in seven games at Truist Park this season (10 for 20), drove in Miami’s first four runs of the game on a fourth-inning sacrifice fly and a three-run home run in the sixth.
Even the first two at-bats against Garcia in the bottom of the inning didn’t spell doom.
Austin Riley took an inside fastball and sent it to left-center for a softly hit leadoff single. Dansby Swanson hit into a fielder’s choice the next at-bat. One out and one on. A double play ball ends the game.
Then came trouble.
Back-to-back singles from Guillermo Heredia and Orlando Arcia — Heredia’s a groundball through the right side on an elevated fastball, Arcia’s a line drive to center on a slider over the heart of the plate, score Swanson and bring the tying run to the plate.
Pinch-hitter Pablo Sandoval walks. Bases loaded. The Braves (41-42) now have the winning run at the plate. Garcia has thrown 20 pitches.
“I always feel like he can get himself out of it,” Mattingly said.
He couldn’t this time.
Abraham Almonte hits a double down the third-base line on a fastball away. Two score. The Marlins’ lead is down to one. Still only one out in the ninth.
Ronald Acuna Jr., who hit a two-run home run in the third, hits a fastball left over the heart of the plate to right field for a game-tying sacrifice fly.
The Marlins intentionally walk both Freddie Freeman and Ozzie Albies before Garcia strikes out Riley in his second at-bat of the frame to force extra innings.
“There were a couple pitches where I didn’t have the best command. That’s pretty much what happened,” said Garcia, who also noted he thought he made good pitches but credited the Braves for making contact.
The decisive 10th was just as wild.
The Marlins intentionally walked Swanson. Heredia flew out to right to move Riley (who was the automatic runner at second to begin the extra inning) from second to third. Another intentional walk, this time to Arcia, loaded the bases with one out.
With backup catcher Kevan Smith batting, Bass’ third pitch skipped past Leon. Riley dashed for home, but Leon flipped the wild pitch to Bass covering home plate for the second out. The Marlins then intentionally walk Smith knowing the Braves would have to use a pitcher to hit in the decisive spot.
Fried stepped into the box, worked a 3-1 count and sent a 95.6 mph sinker at the bottom of the strike zone into center field.
“I was really surprised he swung the bat there,” Mattingly said, “but he’s actually a pretty good hitter.”
Fried showed it in the biggest spot as he sealed the Braves’ win. His teammates mobbed him in the infield to celebrate while the Marlins exited the field, a big win eluding them.
“Guys aren’t taking it too well,” said Thompson, who kept the Marlins in the game during his six innings on the mound while the offense rallied. “Obviously we lost, but our bullpen has been outstanding this entire year. It’s just one of those days that just kind of sucks and it really hurts.”
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