Marlins avoid sweep vs. Yankees thanks to eighth-inning surge...

Pinch hitter Graham Pauley lined a go-ahead two-run double with the bases loaded against Jake Bird to spark a four-run eighth inning and the Miami Marlins hung on for a 7-6 victory over the host New York Yankees after a lengthy rain delay Sunday. The Marlins chipped away at an early 4-1 deficit following a pregame delay of three hours and 35 minutes and took their first lead in the eighth. Bird (1-1) replaced Fernando Cruz after Jakob Marsee drew a one-out walk. After Bird walked Otto Lopez and hit pinch hitter Griffin Conine on the left foot, Pauley batted for Connor Norby. Pauley gave the Marlins a 5-4 lead when he lined a sweeper down the right field line. Xavier Edwards, who drove in three runs, followed with a two-run single off Ryan Yarbrough for a three-run lead. New York's Ben Rice hit a three-run homer in the first off opener Pete Fairbanks. Aaron Judge scored in the third when Lopez dropped a throw at second from Norby on a grounder by Rice. After throwing 13 1/3 scoreless innings in his first two starts, New York's Max Fried allowed three runs on five hits in 6 2/3 innings. Fried struck out four and walked three. Lopez hit an RBI single off Fried as the Marlins took a lead in the first inning for the third straight game. Edwards hit a run-scoring double in the fourth and Marsee scored in the sixth on a throwing error by shortstop Jose Caballero, trimming it to 4-3. Fairbanks allowed three runs on three hits in a 27-pitch first inning. He served as the opener Sunday so he can leave the team and join his wife, who is expecting a child on Monday. After Fairbanks exited and Andrew Nardi pitched the second, Chris Paddack allowed one unearned run on three hits in 4 2/3 innings. Paddack struck out four and walked four. John King (1-0) notched the last out of the seventh and Calvin Faucher stranded a runner in the eighth. Anthony Bender allowed a two-run double to Jazz Chisholm Jr. before fanning pinch hitter J.C. Escarra to secure his first save. The Marlins allowed nine more walks and issued 30 walks in the three-game series. --Field Level Media Copyright 2026 Field Level Media. All Rights Reserved. This story was originally published April 5, 2026 at 5:48 PM.