Yelich's RBI Double In The 12th Lifts Marlins To 4-3 Win Over Pirates
MIAMI (AP) - Christian Yelich hit a walk-off double in the bottom of the 12th inning to lift the Miami Marlins to a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night to win the four-game series.
Yelich doubled to deep right-center field off A.J. Schugel (1-2) with two outs in the ninth to score Martin Prado from first without a throw home and tie the game at 3.
Nick Wittgren (1-0) pitched three scoreless innings in relief and struck out three to earn his first career victory.
Yelich's hit was the first for the Marlins since the fourth inning.
Ichiro Suzuki had two hits, scored a run, stole a base, and had two impressive defensive plays in center field for the Marlins. He has 2,965 career hits moving into sole possession of 31st on MLB's all-time hit list.
Pittsburgh had four players leave the game with injuries including Andrew McCutchen. Francisco Cervelli, David Freese and Jordy Mercer left after getting hit by pitches.
Pittsburgh won the first game of the series 10-0 on Monday before the Marlins won the final three, 3-1, 3-2 and 4-3.
John Jaso hit a game-tying single with two outs in the top of the ninth on a 3-2 pitch from Kyle Barraclough.
Marlins starter Wei-Yen Chen didn't allow a hit until the seventh inning with the Marlins leading 3-0. Jung Ho Kang doubled to lead off the seventh breaking up Chen's no-hit bid. Chen walked the next batter ending his night.
Both runners scored on a two-out, two-run double by Matt Joyce off Dustin McGowan to cut the Pirates' deficit to 3-2.
Chen pitched six innings, allowed one hit and two runs. He walked five and struck out three.
Suzuki helped keep the no-hitter intact with a diving catch in right-center field in the second taking a hit away from Juan Nicasio and he made a leaping catch against the center field wall on a fly ball hit by Kang.
It was the second consecutive day a Marlins pitched held the Pirates without a hit to start the game. Adam Conley did not allow a hit until there were two outs in the sixth inning.
Miguel Rojas' squeeze bunt opened the scoring for Miami.
Giancarlo Stanton's RBI double and J.T. Realmuto's sacrifice fly pushed the Marlins' lead to 3-0 in the third.
Nicasio allowed three runs in six innings.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Pirates: McCutchen (right thumb) lined out in the sixth and then left the game between innings. . Cervelli (right foot) left the game in the bottom of the third after being hit by a pitch thrown by Chen in the top of the second. . Freese (right hand) was hit by a pitch in the top of the eighth, stayed in to run, but was replaced in between innings. . Mercer (left elbow) was hit by a pitch in the ninth and scored the tying run before leaving the game between innings.
Marlins: 2B Derek Dietrich (left wrist) left Wednesday's game after being hit with a pitch and was not in the lineup Thursday. "He came back today looking pretty good actually so we'll see what he can do," manager Don Mattingly said. "It depends how he swings and then go from there."
UP NEXT
Pirates LHP Francisco Liriano (4-4, 4.63 ERA) will start Friday's game against RHP Jered Weaver (4-4, 4.50) and the Los Angeles Angels.
Miami will continue their homestand Friday with RHP Tom Koehler (3-5, 4.50) against New York Mets RHP Noah Syndergaard (5-2, 1.84).
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