Navarreto's wild day culminates in latest Marlins win

[Nate Karzmer]

MIAMI—Brian Navarreto showed up to work Wednesday morning believing it would be a day to remember. While he would be proven correct, the path that took him there featured more twists and turns than he could have imagined.

A sudden allergic reaction around an hour before first pitch threw a wrench in what was slated to be Navarreto’s 2026 debut at the big league level. The 31-year-old wasn't about to let that excuse prevent him from playing, though.

"Nobody's gonna take me out of this game, not even the allergies. We took care of it, and right now I'm good, but if you saw me before, it was kind of like a fight with (Manny) Pacquiao."

A pickoff, caught stealing, sacrifice bunt and walk might not be sexy on the stat sheet, but when it's in tune with everything else Miami did in the matinee, it proved vital. Navarreto's gritty performance paced Miami in their 4-2 series-clinching win over Texas, their sixth in seven games. The Fish improve to a league-best 16-5 in June and 42-39 on the season, now sitting just one game out of the third National League Wild Card spot.

Navarreto detailed his morning as normal, from his eating to how his body felt, before sudden puffiness of the face and intense itches alerted that something was wrong. While he remained unsure what caused the issues postgame, his patented defense would remain unaffected.

A back-pick of Ezequiel Duran and caught stealing of Nicky Lopez in back-to-back frames gave recently recovered Eury Pérez the boost he needed.

Pérez, who worked 4 ⅔ innings of one-run ball in his first start in nearly a month, described his catcher as “incredible”

“The commitment that he puts out there today, even though he had a weird allergic reaction before the game and he. went out there his best-is incredible.”

Joining Navarreto on the offensive side were should-be All-Stars Otto Lopez and Xavier Edwards, both of whom padded Miami’s lead in the later innings. Griffin Conine delivered the early game-tying swing with his first RBI in nearly three months.

“We’re doing things in a lot of different ways,” said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. “Playing right now a very clean brand of baseball and that's what you have to do to continue to win.”

Following an off day on Thursday, McCullough's club returns to action Friday night in St. Louis to begin a set with postseason implications for both clubs. Max Meyer, who is expected to return from a stint on the bereavement list, toes the slab in the series opener. First pitch from Busch Stadium III is set for 8:15.

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