The 2023 Marlins have been defying the odds all season. However, they will face another challenge in their National League Wild Card Series against the reigning NL champion Phillies.
Left-hander Jesús Luzardo of Miami gave up three runs on eight hits in four innings, while their offense fell short of a late rally in a 4-1 Game 1 loss. The sellout crowd of 45,662 at Citizens Bank Park witnessed the defeat.
Despite the setback, third baseman Jake Burger remains confident. He said, “I feel like we’ve been playing must-wins for the entire month of September, so it’s a similar spot we’re used to. Just wake up tomorrow and get back at it.”
Historically, Game 1 winners in best-of-three Wild Card Series have gone on to win the series 83% of the time. However, the resilient Marlins should not be counted out.
At the start of the season, the Marlins had only a 23.6% chance of reaching the postseason. Despite the odds, they secured a playoff spot for the first time in 20 years and locked down the fifth seed in the NL.
With 42 comeback victories, the Marlins demonstrated their ability to overcome adversity. They had the most come-from-behind wins by an MLB team in a single season in the Modern Era. In addition, they overcame a poor series-opening record to capture eight series victories.
Despite the challenge ahead, manager Skip Schumaker believes his team doesn’t need a motivational speech to understand the stakes. He said, “We’re used to it. I don’t know how many times we’ve lost the first game of a series, but we end up winning the series. Hopefully that’s the case this time. Again, it’s a really good team, playoff tested. The crowd was into it, no doubt about it.”
To force a Game 3, the Marlins will need to overcome Game 2 starter Aaron Nola. They struggled to score runs in Game 1, with only seven hits and two runners in scoring position. However, they managed to scratch a run across and gave themselves a chance to rally.
Pitcher Josh Bell remains optimistic about their chances. He said, “We’ve won two in a row before. That’s the mentality going into tomorrow. We’ve got a phenomenal pitcher on the bump, and we’ve gotten to Nola a couple times in the past. So that’s the plan. We’ll just rinse this one off and get back after it tomorrow.”
The Marlins will rely on Burger, Soler, and Chisholm to provide a boost in the middle of the lineup. They had a tough time in Game 1, but their recent performances offer hope. They will need a collective effort, especially with the injury to batting champion Luis Arraez.
Despite the challenges they faced in Game 1, the Marlins remain focused on the task at hand. As Arraez said, “Today was a tough day. We didn’t hit well, but we just need to continue to push hard and come back tomorrow. Tomorrow’s another day. It’s not how we start, it’s how we finish.”
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