Miami Marlins Pull Out Inexplicable Win Over Minnesota Twins Despite Historic Blunders

The Miami Marlins may have struck out 20 times, stranded 15 runners on base, committed two errors and blown a four-run lead, but they still beat the Minnesota Twins on Thursday.

Sep 26, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Miami Marlins outfielder Derek Hill (58) catches a ball hit by Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (25) to end the fifth inning at Target Field. / Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

You don't have to play great to win a baseball game, you just have to play better than the team you're facing.

That's exactly what the Miami Marlins did Thursday, somehow eking out a win against the Minnesota Twins despite some historic roadblocks.

Miami struck out 20 times, which is tied for the second-most across all of baseball this season. Even when they did manage to get men aboard, the Marlins stranded 15 runners on base. Still, Miami led Minnesota 4-0 through five innings thanks to a gem from rookie Valente Bellozo.

Of course, the Marlins blew that lead and allowed the Twins to force extras, committing two errors along the way.

Miami, having sat in last place in the NL East all year long, eventually turned on the jets in the top of the 13th thanks to Otto Lopez's two-RBI double and Griffin Conine's RBI single. The Marlins, against all odds, pulled out the 8-6 win over a team fighting to stay alive in the AL Wild Card race.

According to OptaSTATS, the Marlins became the first team in MLB history to strike out at least 20 times, leave 15-plus runners on base, blow a lead of at least four runs, commit multiple errors and fail to hit a home run in a game – win or lose. Somehow, Miami still managed to win.

The Marlins are the first team in MLB history to strike out 20+ times, leave 15+ runners on base, blow a 4+ run lead, commit multiple errors and fail to hit a home run in a game.

They still ended up beating the Twins, 8-6.

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 27, 2024

For all of the blunders the entire lineup made on Thursday, third baseman Connor Norby seemingly had the worst showing of the bunch. The rookie infielder went 0-for-6 with five strikeouts, on top of committing a throwing error in the field.

Left fielder Kyle Stowers and his fifth-inning replacement Dane Myers combined to go 0-for-6 with three strikeouts, while center fielder Derek Hill and his 11th-inning replacement Javier Sanoja combined to go 0-for-6 with four strikeouts.

Miami's pitching staff may have blown two saves on the night, but they only gave up three earned runs. Three different relievers got credit for holds, all while Anthony Maldonado got the win and Darren McCaughan recorded his first career save.

The Marlins are now 59-100, tying them for the the third-most losses in franchise history. The Twins, on the other hand, sit 3.0 games behind the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers for the last two AL Wild Card spots with three games to go.

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