Marlins’ Stunning Comeback Win Shapes Playoff Hopes
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Sunday's comeback win against the Washington Nationals is one of the most remarkable wins of the season for the Miami Marlins.
A win like this one on the road can change the momentum of the team. As we approach September, the Marlins can take their late-inning heroics into a winning streak to help them make the playoffs.
Miami Score Runs in Late Inning Since 2011
It's one thing to score one or two runs late in the game to tie it or grab the lead. What Miami did was something we haven't seen in fifteen years. The Marlins scored six runs in the top of the ninth inning against the Nationals after trailing 2-0.
It's only the third time they've pulled this off in their franchise history.
Today marked the third time in Franchise history that the Marlins scored six or more runs in the ninth inning or later to erase a deficit and earn a road victory.
— Marlins Communications (@MarlinsComms) August 30, 2026
Other occurrences:
August 26, 1998 at Cardinals; 7-6 win in 10 innings
July 14, 2011 at Cubs; 6-3 win in 9 innings
Miami was on its way to losing its third straight game to the Nationals. The way this team fought in the ninth inning should give them plenty of fuel to win not only tonight's game, but to start getting hot at the right time.
If there's anyone in the Marlins clubhouse who should be a vocal leader, then now is the time for someone to speak and be the strong voice to remind the team that they are good enough to play in October.
How about Otto Lopez? As good as he's been this year, the big insurance two-run home run broke his 43-game homerless drought. It must have felt great to take that huge weight off his shoulders finally.
Lopez is also part of an interesting list. He's 13th in Marlins history with 11.8 bWAR as a position player, having just passed Charles Johnson.
It took Otto Lopez less than 3 full seasons to enter elite company.
— Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) August 30, 2026
He ranks 13th in Marlins history with 11.8 bWAR as a position player, having just passed Charles Johnson. Only shortstop ahead of him is Hanley Ramírez.
With a hot September, he could catch Gary Sheffield 👀 pic.twitter.com/hxyNCd0JM6
Joe Mack and Jakob Marsee were also heroes in this game. Both young guys provided RBIs for Miami. Dax Fulton earned the win. It was the first one of the season for him.
The Marlins hitters didn’t have a great day at the plate - striking out nine times, Heriberto Hernandez struck out three times and he's their home run leader.
As ugly as those first eight innings were, there's a saying, "save the best for last," and that's what the team did. Miami will play the Nationals on Monday to wrap up their four-game series. Ryan Guston will take the ball for the Marlins.
After Monday, the Marlins will head to Kansas City for a three-game series. Miami must either take two or sweep the Royals. That's a series they can't afford to slip up. The offense must dominate the Royals' pitching.
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After graduating from City College of New York in 2014, Miguel created his own blog. Since 2021, he has written for FanSided, where he covered the Toronto Blue Jays, College Football and Utah Mammoth hockey team. He also wrote for Miami Heat on SI and Cleveland Sports Talk. Miguel is the creator and host of his podcast, Baseball Heat Podcast with Mike.