MIAMI — With the Yankees in town, the Marlins honored their 2003 championship team on Friday night.
Miami, which went by Florida back then, won that World Series over the Yankees in six games. Twenty years later, the Marlins welcomed back the likes of Jeff Conine, Juan Pierre, Josh Beckett and Iván Rodríguez to celebrate. Even Carl Pavano, who went on to be a bust with the Yankees, showed up.
But those hoping to see another Yankees loss left LoanDepot Park disappointed on Friday, as the Bronx Bombers began the series with a 9-4 win.
Anthony Volpe started the scoring with a three-run homer off Jesús Luzardo in the second inning. The blast also made him just the second Yankees rookie to tally at least 15 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season.
Alfonso Soriano is the other member of that exclusive club.
“I never really set any numerical goals or anything like that,” said Volpe, who is five home runs away from tying the Yankees’ record for a rookie shortstop. “I just want to compete every day and try to help the team win.”
The Marlins answered back with two runs in the second, courtesy of a Jesús Sánchez triple and a Jake Burger double off Ian Hamilton, who completed two innings as the Yankees’ opener.
But Aaron Judge got a run back for the Yankees in the third when he clubbed a solo shot to Miami’s vegetative batter’s eye. Judge’s 22nd homer of the year was also his longest, as it traveled 464 feet.
The moonshot left Volpe in awe.
“That’s different types of home runs, that’s for sure,” said Volpe, whose dinger flew 404 feet. “It’s so easy, but it just jumps off the bat.”
Judge, meanwhile, played it off as just another homer.
“Any time we can add more runs, they feel great,” he said.
Oswaldo Cabrera, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Gleyber Torres padded the Yankees’ lead in the fourth, as each drove in a run with an RBI single. Kiner-Falefa’s knocked Luzardo out of the game.
The Marlins lefty was charged with seven earned runs. The Yankees added two more runs in the ninth on a Kyle Higashioka single.
“A lot of good things happened out there, starting with swinging the bats off a really good starting pitcher,” Aaron Boone said of Luzardo, who entered the game with a 3.52 ERA. “We were able to hit him hard. I mean, that’s a guy that’s in the middle of another really good season, so that was really good to see, up and down, guys hitting the ball hard against him and having real quality at-bats.”
Randy Vásquez, meanwhile, allowed two runs after taking Hamilton’s place on the mound. He gave up another RBI double to Burger and a solo home run to Josh Bell while totaling one walk, two strikeouts and 3.2 innings as the Yankees’ bulk guy.
“He threw strikes, so that was good,” Boone said. “He came in right away with a lead and did that. But he used everything. He had a presence with his changeup. The cutter, the curveball were there — and his sinker. He was unpredictable. He used his entire repertoire very well.”
Jonathan Loáisiga, Tommy Kahnle and Clay Holmes finished the game for the Yankees.
With every member of the starting lineup recording a hit on Friday, the Yankees’ bats will turn their attention to Sandy Alcantara on Saturday. The 2022 Cy Young winner hasn’t been as formidable this year, recording a 4.28 ERA over 23 starts.
Jhony Brito is expected to pitch for the Yankees with Nestor Cortes landing on the injured list, but Aaron Boone said that using another opener is “on the table” Saturday. Brito, a rookie, has a 5.02 ERA over 14 games (12 starts).
The Yankees won’t need any sort of soft landing for their starter on Sunday, as Gerrit Cole will pitch the series finale. Cole has a 2.75 ERA this season and has positioned himself well for the American League’s Cy Young race.
Rookie sensation Eury Pérez will duel with Cole on Sunday. The 20-year-old owns a 2.79 ERA through 12 career starts.
()