On any given day in the MLB, anything can happen. Fans of the Washington Nationals and the Miami Marlins experienced that firsthand on the evening of September 23rd, 2021, when the two teams faced off in a thrilling matchup at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. The game was packed with excitement from start to finish, leaving fans on the edge of their seats until the very last out.
The Nationals came into the game with a record of 62-88, having struggled through a difficult season. The Marlins, on the other hand, were 63-88, only one game ahead of the Nationals in the standings. Despite both teams being out of playoff contention, there was still plenty of pride on the line in this divisional matchup.
The starting pitchers for the game were Paolo Espino for the Nationals and Edward Cabrera for the Marlins. Espino had a 4.29 ERA coming into the game and had been solid in his recent outings, while Cabrera was making just his second career start after struggling in his debut against the Washington Nationals earlier in the month.
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The first inning was relatively uneventful, with both pitchers settling into a groove early on. However, the Nationals struck first in the bottom of the second inning. After a leadoff double by Josh Bell, Carter Kieboom drove him in with a single to center field. The Nationals added another run in the bottom of the third, when Lane Thomas hit a solo home run to right field.
The Marlins were quick to respond in the top of the fourth inning. After a leadoff walk to Jesús Sánchez, Jorge Alfaro hit a two-run home run to left field to tie the game at 2-2. The Marlins threatened to take the lead later in the inning, but the Nationals were able to escape the jam with a double play.
The game remained tied until the top of the seventh inning, when the Marlins took their first lead of the game. After a leadoff double by Bryan De La Cruz, Isan Díaz hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score De La Cruz and give the Marlins a 3-2 lead.
The Nationals fought back in the bottom of the seventh inning, putting runners on second and third with two outs. Marlins reliever Anthony Bass was able to induce a groundout from Gerardo Parra to escape the jam and preserve the Marlins' lead.
The Marlins added some insurance in the top of the eighth inning, when Sánchez hit a solo home run to left field to extend their lead to 4-2. The Nationals were unable to mount a comeback in the bottom of the eighth inning, and the Marlins took a two-run lead into the ninth inning.
The Marlins brought in closer Dylan Floro to try to seal the win, but the Nationals were not ready to give up. Yadiel Hernandez led off the inning with a single, and Kieboom followed with a walk. After a groundout advanced the runners to second and third, Ryan Zimmerman hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Hernandez and bring the Nationals within one run.
With two outs in the inning, the Nationals had one last chance to tie the game or even take the lead. Pinch hitter Andrew Stevenson came to the plate, hoping to be the hero. Floro got ahead in the count 0-2, but Stevenson battled back and eventually worked a full count. On the seventh pitch of the at-bat, Stevenson hit a ground ball to first base. Marlins first baseman Lewin Díaz fielded the ball cleanly and stepped on first base to end the game, giving the Marlins a hard-fought 4-3 victory.