NEW YORK — Saturday night at Yankee Stadium had everything. A four-run deficit. A stunning comeback. A bullpen meltdown. And then, of all things, Giancarlo Stanton stealing a base.
The New York Yankees are built on power and pitching. Nobody wrote the script that included their designated hitter swiping second base in the seventh inning. Yet there it was. And that stolen base ended up being part of one of the stranger, more compelling wins of this young season.
When the dust finally settled on a chilly night in the Bronx, the Yankees had clawed past the Miami Marlins 9-7. It was their fourth straight victory and pushed their record to a dominant 7-1, the second time in three seasons they have reached that mark through eight games.
A slow start that had the crowd worried
Yankees starter Ryan Weathers did not make things easy. Facing his former club for the first time since New York acquired him from Miami in January, Weathers never found his footing. He allowed six hits and three walks in just 3.2 innings, surrendering three earned runs and throwing 88 pitches before manager Aaron Boone had seen enough.
The Marlins wasted no time. In the first inning, Heriberto Hernandez launched a 107.7-mph triple that scored Otto Lopez and Agustin Ramirez to put Miami up 2-0. The Fish added a third run in the second on an 80.2-mph RBI single by Ramirez himself, then tacked on another in the fourth when Jakob Marsee singled home Ramirez again, aided by a throwing error charged to left fielder Cody Bellinger.
By the end of four innings, Miami led 4-0 and the Yankees had yet to register a single run. The Bronx crowd was restless. The comeback was about to begin.
Bellinger ignites the Bronx rally
The Yankees offense woke up in the fifth inning, and Bellinger was the one who flipped the switch. He connected on a two-run shot off Miami right-hander Max Meyer, driving in Aaron Judge and cutting the deficit to 4-2. The homer was Bellinger’s first of the 2026 season and it gave the stadium a jolt it badly needed.
New York kept rolling in the sixth. Trent Grisham lined a single to score Paul Goldschmidt, who had entered the game as a pinch-hitter and worked a leadoff walk. Then Judge went the other way with a base hit to center, plating Jose Caballero with the tying run. Bellinger followed with a sacrifice fly to left that scored Grisham in a close play at the plate. Three runs. A 5-4 lead. The Stadium erupted.
The Yankees had erased the entire deficit in two innings.
Stanton does the unexpected
Then came the seventh inning moment nobody in that ballpark anticipated. Stanton, the 6-foot-6, 245-pound designated hitter with a career total of seven stolen bases, drew a walk and promptly took off for second base. The Marlins were not holding him. They probably figured they did not have to.
Stanton slid in safely for his first stolen base since Aug. 3, 2020. He advanced to third on a groundout before scoring on a passed ball by catcher Agustin Ramirez. The Yankees dugout erupted. Gerrit Cole, Will Warren and others were on their feet, laughing and celebrating as Stanton crossed the plate.
The insurance run gave New York a 6-4 lead heading into the eighth.
The gut punch from Doval and the answer from Stanton
Relief pitcher Camilo Doval entered in the eighth and immediately struggled. Javier Sanoja laced a two-run double to right-center that scored Liam Hicks and Xavier Edwards, tying the game at 6-6. Doval was pulled having recorded just one out. Brent Headrick came on and cleaned up the mess with two fly-ball outs.
Now came the bottom of the eighth. Michael Petersen entered for Miami and could not find the strike zone. He walked Ryan McMahon to lead off, then walked Aaron Judge after a Grisham flyout. Bellinger also flew out, but Ben Rice drew a third walk from Petersen to load the bases with two outs.
Stanton stepped in. On the second pitch, he hit a ground ball toward shortstop Otto Lopez. The ball hopped past Lopez into left field. McMahon and Judge scored. Yankees led 8-6. A passed ball by Ramirez pushed Rice home moments later. The margin was now three.
That cushion proved necessary. Bednar allowed an RBI single to Edwards in the ninth after Jazz Chisholm Jr. was slow fielding an inning-opening grounder, permitting a baserunner. But Bednar worked through the traffic and secured the final out for his fourth save of the season.
By the numbers
Line score: Marlins at Yankees, April 5, 2026
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Miami Marlins | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 15 | 1 |
| NY Yankees | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | X | 9 | 6 | 1 |
Key pitching decisions
| Pitcher | Decision | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | ERA |
| R. Weathers (NYY) | — | 3.2 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | — |
| C. Doval (NYY) | — | 0.1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — |
| B. Headrick (NYY) | W (1-0) | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| D. Bednar (NYY) | SV 4 | 1.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — |
| M. Petersen (MIA) | L (1-1) | 1.0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — |
Key offensive contributors
| Batter (Team) | AB | R | H | RBI | HR | BB | K | AVG | Notes |
| G. Stanton (NYY) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 2-run single, stolen base |
| C. Bellinger (NYY) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | HR, sac fly |
| A. Judge (NYY) | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | Tying RBI single |
| T. Grisham (NYY) | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | RBI single, 6th inning |
| J. Sanoja (MIA) | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .529 | 2-run double, 8th |
| H. Hernandez (MIA) | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .150 | 2-run triple, 1st |
Standing tall in the AL East
The Yankees drew 10 walks on Saturday night, one day after drawing 11 in an 8-2 win over Miami in the series opener. The patient approach at the plate is generating runs, making up for inconsistent starting pitching through the first week.
New York is now 7-1 through eight games, the best record in the American League East. The Marlins dropped to 5-3 and fell to 0-2 in the series. The Yankees lead their division and will look for the sweep on Sunday, when Max Fried takes the mound carrying a 2-0 record and a 0.00 ERA through 13.1 scoreless innings.
Stanton’s performance resonated beyond the box score. He has now driven in multiple runs in back-to-back games and is looking healthy and engaged after two consecutive seasons shortened by elbow issues. For a Yankees team that needs him in the middle of the lineup to maximize its October ceiling, Saturday night was the kind of statement performance the Bronx has been waiting for.
What do think about the win? Is it convincing?
