The Miami Marlins didn’t blow anybody out on Saturday—they outlasted the Colorado Rockies, slipping away with a 4-3 win in a game that stayed tight all the way into the eighth inning at loanDepot park. And the name you need to remember here? Owen Caissie. Because when this thing was hanging in the balance, he delivered the swing that decided it.
Let’s walk through how this unfolded, because it wasn’t clean, it wasn’t easy, and it definitely wasn’t quick.
Colorado came out swinging first. TJ Rumfield got things going in the second inning with a solo shot, setting an early tone. Then a couple innings later, Ezequiel Tovar stepped in and did even more damage—launching a two-run homer in the fourth that suddenly had the Rockies sitting on a 3-1 lead. At that point, Miami looked like it might be playing catch-up all night.
But here’s where the Marlins started grinding.
Back in the third, they had already chipped in one run thanks to Liam Hicks, who brought Xavier Edwards home on a sacrifice fly. Nothing flashy, just productive baseball. Then came the fifth inning, and this is where Hicks really stamped his presence on the game. He got a pitch he liked and drove it out for a two-run homer, tying things up at 3-3 and knocking Michael Lorenzen out of the game after 4 1/3 innings. Lorenzen wasn’t terrible, but he wasn’t sharp either—seven hits, three runs, a couple hit batters, and suddenly the Rockies were digging into their bullpen earlier than planned.
Now we’re tied, and everything slows down. You could feel both teams waiting for the one mistake, the one pitch, the one moment.
It came in the eighth.
Otto Lopez—who, by the way, hadn’t recorded a hit yet this season—steps in and finally breaks through with a leadoff single. That alone shifts the energy. Then he swipes second base, putting himself in scoring position and forcing Colorado to react. Enter Owen Caissie. He doesn’t try to do too much—just lines one cleanly into center field. Lopez scores, and just like that, Miami has the lead.
From there, it turned into a bullpen job.
Calvin Faucher handled the eighth inning without any drama, earning the win, and then Pete Fairbanks came in to shut the door in the ninth. Clean, efficient, no second chances—his second save of the young season.
A couple individual performances stand out beyond the game-winner. Hicks was everywhere—two hits, three RBIs, and that momentum-shifting homer. Eury Pérez gave Miami exactly what they needed on the mound: seven innings, eight strikeouts, and just three runs allowed. He kept things within reach long enough for the offense to figure it out.
On the other side, the Rockies got their power moments from Tovar and Rumfield, but after that early burst, the offense stalled out. No late push, no answer once Miami took the lead.
One more thing that didn’t go unnoticed—the crowd. Opening Day brought over 32,000 fans. This one? Just over 10,000. Same stadium, very different atmosphere.
Now the Marlins sit at 2-0, with a chance to sweep the series on Sunday afternoon. Colorado, meanwhile, is staring at the possibility of leaving Miami empty-handed unless they can flip the script fast.
That’s baseball in March—tight games, small moments, and one swing making all the difference.
