Pinch hitter Jorge Alfaro hit a two-out, three-run home run in the ninth inning Sunday afternoon to give the San Diego Padres a 3-2 walk-off victory over the Miami Marlins.
Miami pitchers had shut out the Padres for 20 straight innings and had retired 11 straight batters when the Padres launched a game-winning rally against closer Cole Sulser. Jurickson Profar singled with one out in the ninth, which was only the Padres’ sixth hit of the game.
Then followed an unusual play. Left-handed hitter Trent Grisham grounded sharply to third baseman Joey Wendle, who was playing on the right side of the infield in the shift. But Wendle’s throw to second in an attempt to get a forceout was wide of the bag. With no one covering third in the shift, Profar headed to third, only to be tagged out by Sulser on a throw from Rojas.
Rookie C.J. Abrams then singled to left, bringing up Alfaro, the last player on the Padres’ bench, as a pinch-hitter. He hit the first pitch from Sulser into the left field seats for his second homer of the season.
Right-hander Robert Suarez (2-1) pitched two perfect innings in relief of Joe Musgrove, who allowed two runs on five hits and a walk with eight strikeouts in seven innings.
Sulser (0-1) took the loss after Marlins left-handed starter Trevor Rogers and three relievers extended the Padres’ scoreless innings streak to 20.
The Marlins scored their first run in the fourth. Jesus Aguilar doubled to lead off the inning when Padres center fielder Grisham failed on a diving catch in left center. After Musgrove struck out Jorge Soler, Wendle singled to right and Garrett Cooper hit a sacrifice fly to break the scoreless tie.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. made it 2-0 with his fifth homer of the season in the sixth inning — a drive into the Padres’ bullpen in left center.
Rogers pitched his way out of two-on jams in the first, third and fifth innings. He got out of all three by inducing two-out, infield pop outs.
–Field Level Media