Dodgers rally – Tucker’s late RBI single capped a dramatic ninth-inning swing as the Dodgers came back to beat the Marlins 5-4, handing Jake Eder his first MLB win.
There was a moment in the ninth when the Dodgers’ comeback finally clicked—after a walk loaded the bases and the pressure stayed on Miami.
Tucker’s winning hit came as the game tightened up, and though it was his only hit of the night, it mattered most: he singled to center to score Shohei Ohtani and Dalton Rushing, completing a rally that turned a late deficit into a one-run win.
Jake Eder earned his first major league victory in relief, working a clean inning with one hit allowed.. The Dodgers also showed a pattern that has been hard to find for them so far—staying alive when they fall behind.. After reaching the seventh inning trailing. Los Angeles kept finding just enough base runners to force the Marlins to make decisions late.
The comeback didn’t begin in the ninth, though.. Miami struck first with a three-run shot from Liam Hicks in the fifth off Yoshinobu Yamamoto. a swing that put the Marlins ahead 4-2.. Hicks timed a 92-mph splitter with two outs—his pitch selection and timing turning into a decisive blast that also punished a Dodgers starter who had been beginning the season strongly.
That homer came after a stretch where the Dodgers were still trying to solve Chris Paddack.. Paddack limited damage in his four innings. and even though his strikeout total was modest. he managed the key feature of run prevention: keeping traffic from becoming a larger jam.. At the same time. Yamamoto’s day ultimately proved unsustainably short by his standards—his shortest outing of the season ending with four runs allowed over five innings.. The right-hander struck out four but also walked a season-high four. and that combination broke the rhythm of what had been a run of quality starts.
Still, Miami’s lead wasn’t built on cruise control.. The Marlins were already in front 2-1 after Otto Lopez scored in the fourth following an error by shortstop Hyeseong Kim. a reminder that in high-leverage games. one defensive miscue can change the entire math.. Los Angeles. despite a few missed opportunities. kept pressure alive—especially in innings where small hits and patient at-bats flipped the balance.
The Dodgers’ first burst in the opener set the tone: Teoscar Hernández’s two-out RBI single scored Ohtani and Freeman. and it created an early 2-0 advantage.. Even later, when the game’s structure tightened, Los Angeles made contact and tested Miami’s bullpen.. In the seventh. however. the Dodgers left the bases loaded—Alex Call and Ohtani singles and a Freeman walk leading to an inning-ending ground ball from Freddie Freeman grounding out against Andrew Nardi.. Those wasted chances loomed once Hicks’ three-run homer put Miami in a comfortable, if not safe, position.
The ninth is where the at-bats turned into outcomes.. With the Marlins clinging to a 4-3 lead. closer Pete Fairbanks walked Andy Pages. and Ohtani answered immediately with a ground-rule double that pulled the Dodgers within a run.. Pinch-hitter Dalton Rushing also drew a walk. and Freddie Freeman was intentionally walked to force in another run and load the bases.. Then Tyler Phillips came on. and after Will Smith struck out for the second out. the Dodgers needed one clean swing or one timely contact—Tucker delivered it. pushing two runs across and flipping the lead.
For Miami. the inning carried a second sting beyond the final result: Phillips was managing a situation that looked. on paper. like it could end quickly—loaded bases. two outs. and a final at-bat remaining.. But baseball often rewards the team with the last sequence of pressure, and this one belonged to the Dodgers.
Looking ahead, the teams meet again with very different momentum entering the matchup.. Janson Junk takes the mound for Miami on Tuesday against Shohei Ohtani. who starts with a 2-0 record and an eye-catching 0.38 ERA.. For the Dodgers. the immediate takeaway is simple: their rally wasn’t built on one big inning alone—it was sustained by bullpen execution. late situational hitting. and enough base-running intent to turn a deficit into a walk-off-like finish without needing a home run.. And for the Marlins. the answer now is equally clear: protect late leads with cleaner sequences. because the Dodgers proved they can make a one-run game swing in a single frame.