NEW YORK (Interstat) — In a wild, back-and-forth affair that defied both statistical projections and conventional logic, the New York Yankees rallied from an early five-run deficit, then survived a late scare to outslug the Miami Marlins 9-7 on Saturday afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

A crowd of 44,150 watched for 3 hours and 49 minutes as the Yankees, despite being out-hit 15 to 6, leveraged timely power and patient at-bats to overcome the Marlins’ relentless offensive pressure and improve their major league-best record to 7-1. Miami fell to 5-3.

The game’s most critical sequence unfolded in the bottom of the eighth inning, transforming a one-run deficit into a decisive lead. Trailing 7-6, the Yankees mounted a two-out, bases-loaded rally against reliever Michael Petersen. After walks to Ryan McMahon and Aaron Judge sandwiched around a fly out, Cody Bellinger flew out for the second out. Petersen then walked Ben Rice to load the bases, bringing Giancarlo Stanton to the plate.

Stanton, who had walked twice and struck out once previously, delivered the game’s biggest hit, lacing a two-run single up the middle to score McMahon and Judge. Rice also scored on the play when center fielder Jakob Marsee mishandled the ball for an error, giving the Yankees a 9-7 advantage. That three-run rally answered a two-run top of the eighth by Miami and handed Petersen the loss, his first of the season.

The comeback spoiled a dominant early effort from the Marlins, who battered Yankees starter Ryan Weathers. Miami struck immediately in the first inning. After two quick outs, Otto Lopez singled and Heriberto Hernández drove him in with a triple to deep center, also scoring Agustín Ramírez who had walked.

They added a run in the second on an RBI single by Ramírez and another in the fourth, aided by a throwing error from Bellinger in left field that allowed Jakob Marsee to come all the way around from first on his own single. Through four innings, Miami led 4-0 and had chased Weathers.

Marlins starter Max Meyer cruised through the first four frames, but the Yankees broke through in the fifth. Aaron Judge singled with two outs, and Cody Bellinger followed by launching a two-run homer to right-center, cutting the lead to 4-2 and energizing the home crowd.

New York took command with a three-run sixth. Against the Miami bullpen, they parlayed a walk, a hit-by-pitch, and three singles—including RBI hits from Trent Grisham and Judge—along with a sacrifice fly from Bellinger to take a 5-4 lead. They added a run in the seventh on a strikeout-wild pitch to make it 6-4.

The Marlins, who lead the majors in hits, refused to go quietly. In the eighth, Liam Hicks singled and Xavier Edwards doubled, setting the stage for Javier Sanoja. The Miami third baseman ripped a two-run double down the left-field line, reclaiming the lead at 7-6 and setting the stage for Stanton’s heroics.

In the ninth, Miami threatened against Yankees closer David Bednar. Lopez singled, moved to second on a groundout, and scored on an RBI single from Edwards to pull within two. After a walk loaded the bases with two outs, Bednar struck out Griffin Conine swinging to end the game and secure his fourth save.

Brent Headrick earned the win for New York, recording two critical outs in the eighth inning. Petersen took the loss for Miami. The Yankees’ victory, predicted by betting markets as a favorite but not by the scoreline, continued their strong early-season form. The teams conclude their three-game series on Sunday.