If you walked into loanDepot park Tuesday night expecting a quiet bounce-back game, you got something very different. The Miami Marlins didn’t just recover from that Game 1 stumble—they flipped the entire tone of the series with a 9–2 win that felt loud, fast, and just a little bit personal.
Let’s start with the moment everyone’s going to remember. Eighth inning, game already leaning Miami’s way, and Griffin Conine steps in and absolutely hammers a two-run shot. Not a cheap one, not a wall-scraper—this thing had intent behind it. You could feel the shift right there. Whatever doubt lingered from the opener? Gone. Crowd on its feet, dugout buzzing, and suddenly this looked like a team that had completely reset.
But here’s the thing—it didn’t start that way. Through three innings, Miami couldn’t buy a hit. Nothing. Flat, quiet, the kind of start that makes you wonder if the previous loss is still hanging around. Then the fourth inning hits, and everything unravels for Chicago in a hurry.
Xavier Edwards gets it going with a single. Agustín Ramírez follows with a double. Now there’s traffic, now there’s pressure. And then Liam Hicks—who’s quietly putting together one of the most productive starts in baseball—drives both runs in with a shot down the first base line. Just like that, Miami’s awake. Hicks now sits at eight RBIs on the season, and it’s not coming from lucky swings—it’s situational, timely hitting.
And the Marlins didn’t stop there. Owen Caissie and Heriberto Hernández pile on, while the White Sox basically hand over extra runs with a pair of throwing errors from Luisangel Acuña. That inning didn’t just change the scoreboard—it changed the feel of the entire game.
On the mound, Miami handled business without needing anything flashy. Janson Junk gave them 4 1/3 innings, allowed two runs, and most importantly, didn’t let things spiral early after Chicago grabbed that 2–0 lead in the second. That’s where games can get away from you, and he kept it right there within reach.
Then the bullpen stepped in and locked it down. Anthony Bender picks up the win, 1 2/3 scoreless innings, clean, controlled, no drama. Exactly what you want when your offense has given you breathing room.
Meanwhile, the White Sox had their shot early. Munetaka Murakami and Andrew Benintendi helped them jump out front, and for a brief moment, it looked like they might dictate the pace again. But after the fourth inning? Nothing. The bats went quiet, and the mistakes started stacking up.
Erick Fedde couldn’t stop the bleeding, giving up four runs across five innings, and Bryan Hudson’s miscue on a bunt just added to a night that got away from Chicago piece by piece.
Now everything comes down to the finale. One game, series on the line. Miami has the momentum, the energy, and a lineup that just proved it can turn a slow start into a runaway win in a single inning. Chicago, on the other hand, has to figure out how to clean up the mistakes fast—because another night like this, and they’re flying out of Miami with a series loss and a lot of questions.
