Marlins walk off — again — on wild pitch to take season-opening series vs Pirates
MIAMI — Griffin Conine hit a home run, Derek Hill scored the winning run from third on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth, and the Florida Marlins beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-2 Sunday.
Hill walked to lead off the bottom of the ninth, stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error before he scored on a wild pitch by David Bednar.
Andrew McCutchen hit a lead-off homer in the top of the second inning, but Nick Fortes hit an RBI double to left that drove in Hill to make it 1-1 going into the third. The 38-year-old McCutchen now has 800 career extra-base hits, third most among active players (behind Freddie Freeman with 885 and Paul Goldschmidt with 833).
Isiah Kiner-Falefa hustled out an infield single to drive in Endy Rodriguez, who had walked to lead off the fifth inning, to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead.
Conine hit a solo shot to make it 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh. His father, Jeff Conine, helped the Marlins to World Series titles in 1997 and 2003 and is known as “Mr. Marlin." He was inducted in the the franchise's hall of fame earlier Sunday.
With a runner on first in the top of the ninth, Miami's Kyle Stowers made a running over-the-head catch at the warning track to rob Enmanuel Valdez of extra bases and keep the game scored at 2-2.
The Marlins won three games with walkoffs to take their opening four-game series against the Pirates.
Carmen Mlodzinski, a 26-year-old RHP, makes his first start of the season Monday as the Pirates kickoff a three-game road set against the Tampa Bay Rays.
