Marlins beat hefty odds to walk it off on Soler's homer
MIAMI -- 1.4 percent.
That was the Marlins’ win probability following Garrett Hampson’s strikeout for the second out in the ninth inning on Tuesday night against the Nationals at loanDepot park. In a span of three batters, that flipped to become part of franchise lore.
Garrett Cooper started the two-out rally with a double to left-center before Luis Arraez drove him home with a single to right. After manager Skip Schumaker inserted Jon Berti as a pinch-runner for Arraez, Jorge Soler worked a full count against righty Hunter Harvey -- the son of the first closer in Marlins history, Bryan Harvey.
Soler then crushed a 99.1 mph four-seamer over the wall in left-center for a two-run homer to give the Marlins an unlikely 5-4 walk-off victory. It marked the third-fastest pitch Soler has taken deep since Statcast began tracking in 2015.
According to Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time the Marlins won in walk-off fashion after trailing by two or more runs with two out and nobody on in the ninth inning or later.
“I think in years past, we would have maybe folded early on, and I think this team dynamic is so much different than in years past,” Cooper said. “There's so many guys that believe -- and I'm not saying years past we didn't believe, but it's just a different mentality I think with Skip and the hitting coaches that we're never out of games.”
The ninth inning served as a redemption arc for that trio of Miami batters. With the Marlins up 2-1 in the seventh inning, they had a chance to tack on insurance runs but failed to do so. Cooper struck out with a pair of runners in scoring position, and after Josiah Gray intentionally walked Arraez to load the bases, Soler grounded out to short. Prior to the ninth-inning rally, Miami went hitless in eight at-bats with runners in scoring position and left nine on base.
Washington responded in the eighth by scoring three runs to take a 4-2 lead against relievers Huascar Brazoban and Steven Okert.
“Just credit to our team for just not giving up or giving in after a tough eighth inning and not scoring in the bottom half of the seventh with our dudes up,” Schumaker said. “It just felt like the wind was kind of let out a little bit, and then you look up and these guys are still playing the game hard. Just really proud of how they went about that ninth inning -- not only because of the walk-off. Even if Soler gets out right there, we gave ourselves a really good shot to win the game.
“Obviously, this interview's a lot better after that home run. Soler was frustrated all game, not coming through a couple of times. He kind of felt like it was going to be on him if we didn't win … and man, he hit that ball pretty hard. So it was so fun to watch.”
Of Soler’s 10 homers this season, six have tied the game or put the Marlins ahead. In this instance, starter Jesús Luzardo and relievers Tanner Scott, Brazoban and Okert cheered from inside the training room. Luzardo has told Soler he owes him dinner because the slugger seems to always go deep in his starts; Soler has done so in six of nine, with seven homers total.
“Just didn't make the pitch, really,” Harvey said. “[Soler is a] really good fastball hitter, [they’re a] really good fastball-hitting team. And just gave him something he could get the barrel to. We were trying to go in. I didn't get in. I think two or three of the times that we tried to get in, I left it out over the plate, which is where he's strong. So he got his pitch and he hit it.”
With Jazz Chisholm Jr., Jesús Sánchez and Avisaíl García on the injured list, the Marlins will welcome more heroics from Soler. Guys will need to step up and fill the void.
Remarkably, the 2019 American League home run champion and ‘21 World Series MVP had never belted a walk-off homer until Tuesday. During a postgame interview with Bally Sports Florida, Soler was ready and able to duck out of the way of a customary Gatorade shower.
“Feels great,” Soler said about the walk-off homer via interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. “I'm 31 years old, and for a moment, I thought I was not going to do it.”