The Braves shocked the Marlins with a late rally Sunday, scoring four times in the ninth before Max Fried – yes, the starting pitcher – won it with a bases-loaded single in the 10th, 8-7.
And so the Braves took two of three from the Marlins at Truist Park to complete a 4-2 homestand. They even gave their fans some afternoon July 4 fireworks in the process.
“It’s a great win,” manager Brian Snitker said. “Really good series win. Some good things happened this homestand. Some really good things happened. The kind of things that show more of what we’re capable of.”
Here are five takeaways from Sunday:
1. Even accounting for the Braves’ wild finishes in recent seasons, Sunday was a doozy. The Braves entered the ninth down 7-3. They attacked Marlins closer Yimi Garcia with three consecutive singles. Outfielder Abraham Almonte laced a one-out double down the left-field line to pull the Braves within a run. Outfielder Ronald Acuna’s sacrifice fly tied the score at 7-7.
After Will Smith pitched a clean top of the 10th, the Braves had third baseman Austin Riley as the placed runner at second to open their half of the inning. Marlins reliever Anthony Bass issued two intentional walks to bring up catcher Kevan Smith, who isn’t known for his offense.
Bass’ wild pitch led Riley to charge home. He initially was ruled safe, prompting celebration at home plate. The field crew already was entering from the outfield. Truist Park was jubilant.
But the Marlins challenged the call, and it was overturned. Riley was out. Bass intentionally walked Smith to summon Fried with two outs in the inning.
2. Fried drew a 3-1 count before smacking a single into center that won the game and series.
“I love hitting,” said Fried, who’s known as one of baseball’s better-hitting pitchers. “I played the outfield growing up and first base. It’s something you always dream about happening, but once I figured out I was a pitcher, I never thought this could be reality. So to have something like this happen and be put into a spot like that, I just try to make the most of it.
“I swung. I knew I hit it good. My only thought was just, ‘drop.’ I wasn’t sure if it was going to hang up and (Starling) Marte would catch it. So I was just hoping it was a drop. I saw the ball fell in front of him, and it was just a wave of emotions.”
3. Per Elias Sports Bureau: Since the RBI became an official stat in 1920, no Braves pinch hitter who was primarily a pitcher had a walk-off RBI until Fried did so Sunday.
4. Acuna launched a two-run homer off Marlins starter Zach Thompson in the third. He’s tormented Miami in his young career, having 21 homers and 52 RBIs against the Marlins in 54 games. He’s hitting .319/.418/.686 with a 1.104 OPS against Miami.
5. Veteran Orlando Arcia was promoted before the game. Arcia was having an excellent season at Triple-A Gwinnett, hitting .303 with a .932 OPS. The Braves made room for him by putting the long-time infielder in left field during the past week in Gwinnett. He started in left Sunday and went 2-for-4 with an RBI and walk in his Braves debut.
“I liked it,” Snitker said of Arcia’s performance. “He made a nice play on that liner. He’s very aggressive, I can see that. It was really encouraging. He’s a good depth piece, too, because now you’re not limited to one extra infielder because he can come in the inner diamond and play all those, also.”
Stat to know
24-22 (The Braves went 24-22 at Truist Park over the season’s first half.)
Quotable
“If Max wasn’t pitching, he’d be an outfielder in the big leagues. He’s that kind of bat if you gave him consistent at-bats.” – Snitker
Comebacks vs. Miami
The Braves have trailed the Marlins entering the bottom of the ninth in 17 games at Truist Park. They’ve rallied to win six of those contests. The Braves trailed by multiple runs in three of those victories.
Up next
The Braves begin a six-game trip Monday to finish the first half. It starts in Pittsburgh, where Fried (5-4, 4.16 ERA) will face Pirates righty Chase De Jong (0-3, 5.65) in the series opener.
