PHILADELPHIA (Interstat) — In a wild, back-and-forth contest that defied pregame projections, the Miami Marlins outlasted the Philadelphia Phillies 6-5 in 11 innings on Tuesday night at Citizens Bank Park.

The game, which saw the Marlins claw back from a three-run deficit and survive a Phillies rally in the 10th, was a testament to Miami’s resilience against a playoff-bound Philadelphia team. The victory improved the Marlins to 77-80, while the Phillies, already assured a postseason spot, fell to 92-65.

For seven innings, the story was Phillies starter Cristopher Sánchez, who dominated Miami’s lineup. Sánchez tossed 7.0 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits while striking out six. His performance staked Philadelphia to an early lead built on solo home runs.

Philadelphia struck first in the bottom of the opening inning when Kyle Schwarber launched his 54th home run of the season deep to right field. They added to their lead in the second when first baseman Otto Kemp connected for a two-run homer, scoring Weston Wilson to make it 3-0.

That score held until Sánchez departed. The Marlins’ offense, dormant for most of the night, finally broke through in the eighth against the Phillies’ bullpen. Griffin Conine led off the inning with a solo home run. Later, Otto Lopez scored on a single by Liam Hicks, who advanced to second on a throwing error by center fielder Harrison Bader, cutting the deficit to 3-2.

Miami tied the game in the ninth on a solo shot by Heriberto Hernández, his 10th of the year, sending the game to extra innings.

In the top of the 10th, the Marlins seized the lead. With the automatic runner on second, Hicks singled to right, scoring Griffin Conine. Troy Johnston, the initial runner, later scored on a fielder’s choice grounder by Jakob Marsee, giving Miami a 5-3 advantage.

The Phillies, however, refused to go quietly in the bottom of the frame. With two outs and runners on base, Alec Bohm and Nick Castellanos delivered consecutive RBI singles off reliever Michael Petersen, plating both the automatic runner and the tying run to knot the game at 5-5 and force an 11th inning.

Miami pushed across the decisive run in the 11th. Connor Norby, starting the inning as the automatic runner at second, advanced to third on a flyout. He then scored on a sacrifice fly by Xavier Edwards off losing pitcher Lou Trivino (3-2).

Marlins reliever Josh Simpson entered for the bottom of the 11th and shut the door, retiring the side in order, including a game-ending groundout from Bryson Stott, to secure the win and earn his fourth victory of the season against two losses.

Beyond the late-inning heroics, Miami’s bullpen was instrumental. After starter Edward Cabrera allowed three runs over 4.0 innings, a parade of relievers combined for 7.0 innings of two-run ball. Tyler Phillips struck out the side in a perfect fifth inning, and George Soriano, Cade Gibson, and Valente Bellozo each contributed scoreless frames to bridge the gap to the later innings.

Hernández led the Marlins’ 10-hit attack, going 3-for-5 with the game-tying home run. The Phillies managed nine hits, with Kemp’s two-RBI homer standing as their key offensive contribution before the 10th-inning rally.

The game, played in 3 hours and 27 minutes before an announced crowd of 38,041, was the first of a three-game set between the division rivals. The teams are scheduled to meet again Wednesday and Thursday to conclude the series. The Marlins will then return home to face the New York Mets, while the Phillies will host the Minnesota Twins.

The final score of 11 runs fell under the pregame over/under line of 7.5, and the Marlins’ victory was an upset according to Interstat’s ELO system, which had given Philadelphia a 65.70 percent probability to win.