The Miami Marlins are heading back to the postseason. The Marlins clinched a wild-card spot with their win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night (MIA 6, PIT 3). This is Miami’s first postseason appearance since 2020 and the franchise’s first in a 162-game season since 2003, when they won the World Series.
Here is the updated NL postseason bracket:
- BYE: No. 1 Atlanta Braves and No. 2 Los Angeles Dodgers
- WC1: No. 6 Arizona Diamondbacks at No. 3 Milwaukee Brewers
- WC2: No. 5 Miami Marlins at No. 4 Philadelphia Phillies
The D-Backs have not yet clinched a postseason berth, though they will do so with their next win or the next losses by both the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds. The Marlins have the same record as Arizona (84-76) with their Saturday night win and hold the tiebreaker over Arizona. The Diamondbacks are currently hosting the Astros in a game with playoff implications in both leagues.
The Braves (NL East champ), Brewers (NL Central champ), Dodgers (NL West champ), and Phillies (top wild-card) are all locked into their postseason spots. No movement is possible there.
Even with Saturday’s win, the Marlins are quite literally limping into the postseason. NL batting champ Luis Arraez has not played since Sept. 23 because he stepped on a baseball during a pregame workout on Sept. 19, and sprained his left ankle. He further aggravated the injury a few days later. Arraez was seen walking with a noticeable limp and with his ankle wrapped Wednesday.
Furthermore, reigning NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara and hotshot rookie Eury Pérez will not pitch again this year; Alcantara has an elbow injury and Pérez a hip issue. The Marlins have leaned heavily on Braxton Garrett and Jesús Luzardo in recent weeks. They’ve used a series of openers and bullpen games in the other rotation spots.
The Marlins are only the 10th team ever to make the postseason with a negative run differential, and only the seventh to do so in a 162-game season (three teams did it in 2020). In fact, Miami’s minus-54 run differential will be the worst ever for a postseason team. The 2005 San Diego Padres previously held that distinction with a minus-42 run differential.
Miami overcame that run differential thanks to an incredible 33-13 record in one-run games. A year ago, they went 24-40 in one-run games, the most such losses since the 1975 Houston Astros went 16-41 in one-run games. This year’s Marlins are winning the tight games last year’s Marlins could not, and now they’re going to the postseason as a reward.
It should be noted the Marlins clinching a postseason berth makes it less likely Friday’s suspended game against the New York Mets will be completed Monday. If that game is needed to determine postseason seeding between the Marlins and D-Backs, it could be played, but it’s possible that will be settled Sunday. Obviously Miami would prefer to have Monday off.
