NEW YORK (Interstat) — In a game defined by a dramatic reversal of momentum, the Miami Marlins scored four runs in the eighth inning to erase a late deficit and then held off a furious New York Yankees rally in the ninth to secure a 7-6 victory on Sunday, April 5, 2026, at Yankee Stadium.

The win allowed the Marlins to salvage the final game of a three-game series after dropping the first two and improved their record to 6-3. The Yankees, who saw a four-game winning streak snapped, fell to 7-2.

The most critical sequence of the afternoon unfolded in the top of the eighth inning with the Marlins trailing 4-3. Facing Yankees reliever Jake Bird, who entered after starter Max Fried’s strong 6 2/3-inning effort, the Marlins mounted a two-out, bases-loaded rally without the benefit of a hit. Jakob Marsee and Otto Lopez worked walks, and Griffin Conine was hit by a pitch to fill the bases.

That brought pinch-hitter Graham Pauley to the plate, and he delivered the game’s pivotal blow, lacing a two-run double down the right-field line to score Marsee and Lopez and give Miami its first lead since the first inning. Xavier Edwards followed by grounding a two-run single up the middle, plating Conine and Pauley to extend the lead to 7-4.

Those four runs proved essential as the Yankees mounted a serious threat in the bottom of the ninth against Miami closer Anthony Bender. After two quick walks to Cody Bellinger and Ben Rice, Bender struck out Giancarlo Stanton. Jazz Chisholm Jr. then ripped a two-run double into the right-field corner, cutting the deficit to 7-6 and bringing the potential winning run to the plate. Bender intentionally walked Austin Wells to set up a force, then struck out pinch-hitter J.C. Escarra swinging to end the game and earn his first save of the season.

The late-inning drama capped a contest that began with an early offensive exchange. The Marlins struck first in the opening inning when Austin Slater singled, moved to second on a strikeout, and scored on Otto Lopez’s RBI single. The Yankees responded immediately and forcefully in their half of the first against Miami starter Chris Paddack. After a walk and a single, Ben Rice launched a three-run homer to right field, his third of the season, to give New York a 3-1 lead.

The Yankees added an unearned run in the third. Aaron Judge led off with a double and later scored from third when Rice reached on a fielder’s choice that was compounded by a missed catch error by Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez.

Paddack, however, settled in brilliantly after the rocky first. The right-hander, who was tagged for eight runs in his previous start, silenced the Yankees’ lineup over the next 3 2/3 innings. He finished with a line of 4 2/3 innings pitched, allowing three hits and four runs, though only three were earned, with four strikeouts. His ability to stop the bleeding after the early onslaught kept Miami within reach and set the stage for the comeback.

Miami chipped away at the 4-1 deficit with single runs in the fourth and sixth innings. In the fourth, Connor Norby walked and scored on Xavier Edwards’ RBI double. In the sixth, the Marlins capitalized on a Yankees error. Marsee walked, moved to third on a Lopez single, and scored when Heriberto Hernández reached on a throwing error by Yankees shortstop José Caballero.

The Yankees’ bullpen, which had been stellar in the series, finally faltered in the decisive eighth. Bird was charged with all four runs in the inning, taking the loss to fall to 1-1. John King recorded the final out of the seventh inning for Miami and was credited with the win, his first of the year.

Fried was effective in a no-decision for New York, yielding three earned runs on five hits over 6 2/3 innings while striking out four. Ryan Yarbrough provided 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief with three strikeouts before Bird’s struggles.

For Miami, Edwards finished with two hits and three RBIs, while Pauley’s pinch-hit double drove in two crucial runs. Rice led the Yankees with three RBIs, and Chisholm Jr. drove in two with his ninth-inning double.

The game time was 3 hours, 24 minutes, and it was played before an afternoon crowd of 34,807. The total of 13 runs combined went over the pregame over/under line of 8. The Marlins head home to open a four-game series with the Cincinnati Reds on Monday. The Yankees have an off-day before beginning a three-game set against the Athletics on Tuesday.