Jesus Sanchez earns redemption with walk-off hit as Marlins secure season’s first sweep

A series sweep. A winning streak.

The Miami Marlins hadn’t experienced either during a season that started with them losing 24 of their first 30 games.

It’s almost as polar opposite a feeling as Jesus Sanchez felt during the Marlins’ three-game series sweep of the equally-struggling Colorado Rockies.

Just two days after being benched following a miscue on a fly ball in right field, Sanchez earned redemption when he lined a ball into the deep left corner just inside the left field foul line in the bottom of the 10th to drive home Luis Arraez and secure a 5-4 walk-off victory over the Rockies at loanDepot park.

Sanchez gave the cellar-dwelling Marlins (9-24) something to celebrate after their first series sweep of 2024, which extended their first winning streak of the season, albeit against the now 7-24 Rockies.

It was also Miami’s second walk-off win of the series.

“We put ourselves in a hole, no doubt about it, but there’s a ton of season left. That was a nice series for us,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “We’re going to the west coast (next) and that’s a long flight, a happy flight is definitely a big deal. Everybody contributed in this series and that’s what stuck out to me. The bullpen was really good. Starting pitching was good. Rookies that came in stepped up… Overall, that’s how you win with good defense and hitting and timely hitting. That shows what happens when we play cleaner baseball.”

But for Sanchez, it meant more.

As he rounded first, he didn’t even get halfway to second before turning to greet his teammates near the mound as they erupted in celebration.

It was a welcome feeling after a major low on Monday night when he was benched in the third inning for an apparent lack of effort on a miscue in right field.

“That’s the game of baseball. Some days are going to be good and some are going to be bad. You just have to keep moving forward and good things will come,” Sanchez said. “My teammates know I’m not that type of player. They know how I play the game. They supported me and told me I just need to move forward and do what I know how to do.”

Sanchez misplayed a single into the right center field gap by Alex Call, backpedaled and took the ball on a hop. He then hesitated on his throw back into the infield, allowing Call to stretch his hit into a double and led to shortstop Tim Anderson hurting his thumb as he tried to apply the tag at second. Sanchez was then removed from the game as Schumaker pinch hit for him in the bottom of the inning.

Schumaker said after the game he felt that despite Sanchez losing the ball in the lights, Sanchez could have given more of an effort to minimize the damage and make the play.

“For him to walk off after a tough night the other night, it’s a credit to him. He’s moved on and I think he’s grown already from it,” Schumaker said. “I still love him. It doesn’t mean I’m not going to play him anymore and I think it shows you how his teammates also built him up after that.”

Sanchez, who started again in Tuesday’s victory, validated his teammates’ and manager’s message in the 10th when got a hold of a 94.5 mph fastball from Rockies lefty reliever Justin Lawrence for the game-winning hit.

“I was feeling comfortable and getting ready for the fastball,” Sanchez said. “I stuck to my plan and got the result I wanted.”

Edward Cabrera started for the Marlins, but lasted only four innings, striking out nine and allowing four runs on three hits and four walks.One of those hits was a three-run home run in the top of the second inning by former Marlins catcher Jacob Stallings.

Cabrera has failed to pitch past the fifth inning in consecutive starts and his outings have been shorter each time since his first start of the season April 15 when he went six innings against the Giants.

“The leadoff walk in that third inning, some of those innings get away from him at times,” Schumaker said. “He doesn’t give up a lot of hits, but again it was the walks. We know what the good Cabrera looks like. He was under the weather so he wasn’t feeling 100 percent so all that factored in. He was ok and it was good enough for us to win, but I think he’ll tell you that he’s better than that outing, but his stuff is there.”