Marlins clinch 2023 playoff berth

Pittsburgh—For just the fourth time in franchise history, the Miami Marlins are headed back to the postseason.

On a beautiful Saturday night in Downtown Pittsburgh, the Marlins defeated the Pirates by a final score of 7-3, which clinched them a spot in the playoffs in a non-shortened season for the first time since 2003.

Entering the contest with a magic number of one, Miami was firmly in control of their own destiny, needing only a win in order to cement themselves a spot in October. Had the Marlins fallen, a Cubs and a Reds loss would have sufficed.

The Marlins employed a classic bullpen game on Saturday, as they used eight different pitchers to complete the nine innings. JT Chargois, Steven Okert, George Soriano, AJ Puk, David Robertson, Matt Moore, Andrew Nardi, and Tanner Scott combined to hold the Pirates to two runs on ten hits and issued only one walk.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. was responsible for getting the offense started on Saturday, as he grounded an RBI single through the right side in the top of the first. In his next at-bat, he drilled a moonshot that barely cleared the 21-foot wall in right field, which made it 2-0. It was his 19th home run of the season, making him one home run shy of a 20/20 season.

After Pittsburgh tied it at two, tensions were astronomical. Even after Jorge Soler and Josh Bell combined to manufacture a couple of runs in the top of the sixth to make it 4-2, no lead felt safe.

A couple of innings later, however, came the big blow from Bell. He drilled a hanging breaking ball for a two-run double off the center field wall, which extended Miami's lead to 6-2. The Marlins could sniff what they've been longing for, as they were only six outs away.

It wouldn't be easy, of course. Nardi worked himself into trouble in the bottom of the eighth after a two-out walk. He'd surrender a couple of more hits to bring the tying run to the plate. That's when Skip went to his closer.

Scott put out the fire in the eighth, and then worked a scorless ninth inning to finish the job for Miami. His Marlins teammates mobbed the new father in front of the mound of PNC Park, warming the hearts of the Miami fans back in South Florida.

With the clinch, Miami cements itself as one of the final two Wild Card teams in the National League. In doing so, the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds are now eliminated from playoff contention. An Arizona Diamondbacks loss to the Houston Astros has moved Miami up to the National League's fifth seed entering Sunday.

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