Catcher Nick Fortes tripled to lead off the bottom of the ninth, and Kyle Stowers drilled a no-out, line-drive single down the right-field line as the host Miami Marlins rallied for a 5-4 walk-off win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday in the opener for both squads.
It was Miami’s first walk-off victory on Opening Day.
It was Fortes’ first triple since 2022, and it was misplayed by center fielder Oneil Cruz, who played shortstop until last year. The ball hit the wall on the fly, and Cruz could have held Fortes to a double, but the outfielder got too close to the fence and the ball rolled past him.
Stowers then hit the winner off of closer David Bednar (0-1).
Marlins reliever Jesus Tinoco earned the win with a scoreless top of the ninth.
Pittsburgh’s biggest offensive plays were Bryan Reynolds’ two-run single in the fifth inning and Nick Gonzales’ two-run homer in the sixth.
Gonzales appeared to hurt his left foot while rounding the bases in the sixth, and he left the game the following inning.
Both teams pitched their aces, but neither one earned a decision.
Pittsburgh’s Paul Skenes, the reigning National League Rookie of the Year, allowed three hits, two walks and two runs in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out seven.
At age 22, he became the youngest Opening Day starting pitcher in Pirates history.
Alcantara, who won the NL’s Cy Young Award in 2022, allowed two hits, two runs and four walks in 4 2/3 innings, striking out seven.
Following elbow surgery late in the 2023 season, this was his first MLB regular-season appearance in 571 days.
Miami got its first hit in the third as Derek Hill hit a double that one-hopped the wall in left.
The Marlins then hustled to get a 1-0 lead as Graham Pauley beat out an infield single, and Xavier Edwards hit an RBI groundout. In between those plays, Fortes hustled to keep from bouncing into a double play, and that allowed Hill to get to third.
Pittsburgh got its first hit with two outs in the fifth as Ke’Bryan Hayes singled. Alcantara walked the next two batters, and Reynolds stroked his two-run single on a ground ball to center.
The Pirates stretched their lead to 4-1 in the sixth as Joey Bart was hit by a pitch, and Gonzales made it 4-1 on his two-run homer to left.
Skenes walked two of the first three batters in the bottom of the sixth, and he was removed. Reliever Dennis Santana then walked Jonah Bride, and Edwards scored on a passed ball charged to Bart.
Miami tied the score 4-4 in the eighth against reliever Colin Holerman, who walked leadoff batter Stowers. The Marlins then got two-out RBI singles from Otto Lopez and Dane Myers.
