5-year Marliniversary: Aguilar's 3-run walk-off blast clinches series vs. Dodgers

[Mike Ferguson]

An All-Star for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018, Jesús Aguilar hit his first career walk-off home run against the Miami Marlins. His final career walk-off blast came for the Marlins – on this day five years ago.

Against the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, Aguilar took Edwin Uceta deep for the walk-off three-run blast. His shot capped a back-and-forth affair as Miami beat the Dodgers for the third straight night, 9-6.

After early solo shots from Garrett Cooper and Jesús Sánchez gave the Marlins an early 2-0 lead at loanDepot Park on July 7, 2021. The Dodgers, however, used home runs from AJ Pollock, Mookie Betts and Justin Turner to push across five runs in the third inning and take a 5-2 lead.

Miami was able to chip away. Aguilar’s two-run double in the third cut the lead to 5-4 before Jazz Chisholm tied the contest with an RBI groundout in the fifth. Cooper’s second solo home run of the night to lead off the bottom of the sixth put the Marlins back in front, 6-5.

On the mound, Jordan Holloway and Anthony Bass combined for 5 1/3 innings of scoreless relief as Miami took a 6-5 lead into the ninth. The Marlins turned to Anthony Bender on the mound. Bender managed to strike out the side but a solo home run by Zach McKinstry tied the game at 6 apiece.

Against Uceta in the bottom of the ninth, Sandy León started things off with a single. After a sacrifice bunt from Chisholm, Starling Marte was intentionally walked. Uceta struck out Magneuris Sierra for the second out, leaving the game in the hands of Aguilar.

Following a first pitch for a strike, Aguilar turned on Uceta’s high fastball, depositing it beyond the left-field wall for the walk-off three-run blast. The win was the third straight for Miami over Los Angeles. The Dodgers did manage to avoid the four-game sweep the following afternoon.

Cooper finished with three hits for Miami while Aguilar and Sánchez each added two. Turner had three hits for the Dodgers.

After hitting two walk-off homers for Milwaukee in 2018, Aguilar’s blast against the Dodgers served as the final walk-off blast of his career. It came on this day five years ago.

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