• RUN. Stowers crushes a single into the right-field corner. Ballgame. Marlins, 5-4
• Edwards steals second.
• Edwards intentionally walked.
• Fortes cracks a high fastball off the fence in center. Cruz doesn't play it all that way well, and he gets a triple out of it.
• Here's Bednar in a tie.
• Bart whiffs. Place erupts. One thing about fans here: There are never many of them, but they sure aren't timid.
• Another double-steal. Six total here. Bart's got a couple of ducks.
• Cruz flies out to center.
• Reynolds walks. Makes sense.
• Pham doubles down the left-field line.
• Kiner-Falefa flies out to right.
• End eighth inning. WOW! Tremendous play between Kiner-Falefa and Hayes to force out Myers at third! Didn't think that had a chance. The Marlins still don't, apparently. Not moving from the bag.
• Hill walks.
• Myers takes second without a throw. Holderman never even glanced over.
• RUN. Yep, Cruz's mistake proves costly. Myers drops his own single into center. Tie, 4-4
• RUN. Lopez drops an RBI single into center, then takes second when Cruz overshoots the cutoff. That's not great. Can't let the tying run move into scoring position there. Pirates, 4-3
• Bride's retired on a beauty of a charge by Hayes. Stowers takes second.
• Holderman walks Stowers to open the Miami eighth.
• Hayes pops up into foul territory.
• Rodriguez rung up.
• Frazier walks.
• Cutch flies out to center.
• Colin Holderman's up in the pen, which would appear to point to David Bednar being in line for the save opportunity. Just saying.
• End seventh inning. Edwards pops up into foul territory.
• Fortes hit by pitch. Like to see it.
• Pauley whiffs.
• Hill lines out to first.
• Recurring left ankle tweak for Gonzales. Doesn't sound serious at all.
• Caleb Ferguson on for the Miami seventh.
• Bart 5-3. Nothing doing.
• Cruz comebacker. Both runners move up.
• Reynolds flies out to center.
• The Pirates' four steals today are their most in an opener since having that many April 11, 1907 in Cincinnati.
• Pham's plunked in the ribs.
• Kiner-Falefa walks to open the Pittsburgh seventh.
• End sixth inning. Awful at-bat for Myers, trying to hunt the walk. He deserved getting caught flat-footed on a slider right down the pipe. My God.
• Dane Myers bats for Conine's kid.
• Lopez walks. Bases loaded again. Santana's not going to stay, either. Shelton's out and wants the lefty Ryan Borucki to face Conine's kid.
• Santana blows high heat by Mervis. Two outs.
• RUN. Then another passed ball on Bart allows everyone 90 free feet. Pirates, 4-2
• Santana walks Bride to load the bases.
• Stowers walks. That'll do it. Skenes slams the rosin bag down, but here comes Shelton, and then here comes Santana. Pitch count: 94. Wayyyyyyy more than I thought he'd get.
• Edwards walks. Mound visit. Dennis Santana gets up.
• Fortes whiffs to open the Miami sixth.
• Adam Frazier's in at second for Gonzales. And Skenes returns for more.
• Hayes pops out to second. Third out.
• Gonzales was just ushered down the steps out of the dugout. No chance he's staying in this game.
• HOME RUN. Gonzales lasers a two-run shot over the fence in left, but it comes at a price as he's limping the whole way around the bases. Pirates, 4-1
Nick Gonzales just demolished a baseball to give the Pirates a 4-1 lead!
• Bart's hit by a pitch in the back. Doesn't seem wild about it. Takes his base.
• Random but fun: Reynolds became the first Pittsburgh hitter to record an RBI in three consecutive openers since Willie Stargell did so in five, 1974-78.
• End fifth inning. Pauley with a first-pitch lineout to Rodriguez for a 3-unassisted double play.
• I can't state strongly enough how impressed I am by Skenes' pickoff move. It wasn't like this in 2024.
• Hill pops up to second.
• Rodriguez is new to first base, and he's got his first error. Can't handle a bouncer right at him by Conine's kid. That's an E3.
• Cruz looks at the third strike. Doesn't like the call, but can't take there. Third out.
• The righty Lake Bachar on for Alcantara.
• McCullough's seen enough. Alcantara's out at 91 pitches. I like letting him face Reynolds even if it didn't work out but, to repeat from below, it sure seemed to me that Reynolds was seeing him even in the first two plate appearances.
• RUNS. Reynolds drills a two-run single up the middle, Pham to third. Pirates, 2-1
• Alcantara's visited on the mound by ... Danny Moskos! For real!
• Pham walks. Bases loaded for Reynolds, who's had a couple of healthy plate appearances even if they both resulted in groundouts to first.
• Double-steal. No throw. Crazy easy.
• Kiner-Falefa walks. Two aboard, two out for Pham.
• Hayes steals second easily.
• Hayes ends Alcantara's no-hitter at 4 2/3 innings by roping a single to right.
• Rodriguez whiffs. That's seven for Alcantara.
• Gonzales whiffs again.
• No signs in the Pirates' dugout or the bullpen that Skenes is done, for what it's worth.
• End fourth inning. Mervis 5-4-3. Pitch count: 67.
• Mervis blown away by high heat.
• Bride opens the Miami fourth with a squibber to third for an infield single. Hayes almost had him, which is nuts.
• Cutch with a high-chop 4-3 for the third out.
• Bart busts his bat on a 5-3. Cruz holds.
• Cruz steals second.
• Cruz walks on four straight.
• Reynolds with another 3-unassisted.
• End third inning. Stowers whiffs. Pitch count: 52.
• Passed ball allows Edwards to take second.
• RUN. Edwards bounces one to second. Gonzales tried for a 4-6-3 but never had a chance. That's why I'd have liked Kiner-Falefa to have gone to third on the last play. Let Skenes get you out of it. Marlins, 1-0
• Awesome pickoff try by Skenes. Nearly got Fortes.
• Fortes bounces to short, and Kiner-Falefa tries for two. Doesn't get the second. Runners at the corners, one out for Edwards.
• Now Pauley reaches when Kiner-Falefa's throw to first off a routine grounder pulls Rodriguez off the bag. It's scored a single for some reason.
• Out of nowhere, Hill lasers Skenes' first pitch of the third off the base of the fence in left for a double. Pitch wasn't even in the zone.
• Pham's frozen. Third out. He gets a little animated, but not at Ben May the home plate ump. Visibly angry with himself, two-handing the bat off his own helmet.
• Kiner-Falefa rung up.
• Hayes caught looking. Had zero intention of swinging.
• Rodriguez walks. Game's first baserunner.
• End second inning. Conine's offspring whiffs. Pitch count: 33.
• End first inning. Bride 4-3. That's 20 pitches already for Skenes, and it's not likely that he'll go much beyond 60, based on stuff Shelton said the other day in Fort Myers regarding all his starters.
• Stowers can't hold up. That's two.
• Edwards works Skenes for eight pitches, but whiffs over a changeup.
• Cruz flies out to deep right-center. 1-2-3.
• Reynolds sharp grounder, 3-unassisted.
• Pham rung up. Outer corner.
• First pitch: Pirates vs. Marlins, Alcantara to Pham, 4:10 p.m., 79 degrees, sunny ... and the 144th season of the Pittsburgh Baseball Club's underway
• Threw the ceremonial first pitch, too. For a strike. Sign him up.
• Dan Marino's presenting a check at field level for his foundation. Looks like he could still sling it. Given the nature of the Steelers' ongoing quarterback pursuit, I wouldn't be surprised.
• With his start today, Paul Skenes becomes the youngest opening day starter in club history and is the youngest Major League Baseball pitcher to make an opening day start since José Fernandez in 2014 when he was 21 years and 243 days old.
• Tommy Pham hits leadoff today, while Endy Rodriguez gets the start at first base and Ke'Bryan Hayes hits in the eight hole.
• And for Derek Shelton's visitors:
1. Tommy Pham, LF 2. Bryan Reynolds, RF 3. Oneil Cruz, CF 4. Joey Bart, C 5. Andrew McCutchen, DH 6. Nick Gonzales, 2B 7. Endy Rodriguez, 1B 8. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B 9. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, SS
• For Clayton McCullough's Marlins:
1. Xavier Edwards, SS 2. Kyle Stowers, LF 3. Jonah Bride, DH 4. Matt Mervis, 1B 5. Otto Lopez, 2B 6. Griffin Conine, RF 7. Derek Hill, CF 8. Graham Pauley, 3B 9. Nick Fortes, C
THE ASYLUM
Final: Marlins 5, Pirates 4
• Who: Pirates vs. Marlins
• What: Pittsburgh's 144th season opener
• When: 4:10 p.m.
• Where: loanDepot Park
• Weather: 79°, sunny, roof open
• Pitchers: RHP Paul Skenes vs. RHP Sandy Alcántara
• TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh
• Radio: Pirates Radio Network
• Streaming: SNP 360, MLB.TV
• Satellite: SiriusXM 861/855
• Boxscore: MLB.com
• Media notes: Pirates | Marlins
► FOLLOW ALONG
• RUN. Stowers crushes a single into the right-field corner. Ballgame. Marlins, 5-4
• Edwards steals second.
• Edwards intentionally walked.
• Fortes cracks a high fastball off the fence in center. Cruz doesn't play it all that way well, and he gets a triple out of it.
• Here's Bednar in a tie.
• Bart whiffs. Place erupts. One thing about fans here: There are never many of them, but they sure aren't timid.
• Another double-steal. Six total here. Bart's got a couple of ducks.
• Cruz flies out to center.
• Reynolds walks. Makes sense.
• Pham doubles down the left-field line.
• Kiner-Falefa flies out to right.
• End eighth inning. WOW! Tremendous play between Kiner-Falefa and Hayes to force out Myers at third! Didn't think that had a chance. The Marlins still don't, apparently. Not moving from the bag.
• Hill walks.
• Myers takes second without a throw. Holderman never even glanced over.
• RUN. Yep, Cruz's mistake proves costly. Myers drops his own single into center. Tie, 4-4
• RUN. Lopez drops an RBI single into center, then takes second when Cruz overshoots the cutoff. That's not great. Can't let the tying run move into scoring position there. Pirates, 4-3
• Mervis whiffs.
• Bride's retired on a beauty of a charge by Hayes. Stowers takes second.
• Holderman walks Stowers to open the Miami eighth.
• Hayes pops up into foul territory.
• Rodriguez rung up.
• Frazier walks.
• Cutch flies out to center.
• Colin Holderman's up in the pen, which would appear to point to David Bednar being in line for the save opportunity. Just saying.
• End seventh inning. Edwards pops up into foul territory.
• Fortes hit by pitch. Like to see it.
• Pauley whiffs.
• Hill lines out to first.
• Recurring left ankle tweak for Gonzales. Doesn't sound serious at all.
• Caleb Ferguson on for the Miami seventh.
• Bart 5-3. Nothing doing.
• Cruz comebacker. Both runners move up.
• Reynolds flies out to center.
• The Pirates' four steals today are their most in an opener since having that many April 11, 1907 in Cincinnati.
• Pham's plunked in the ribs.
• Kiner-Falefa walks to open the Pittsburgh seventh.
• End sixth inning. Awful at-bat for Myers, trying to hunt the walk. He deserved getting caught flat-footed on a slider right down the pipe. My God.
• Dane Myers bats for Conine's kid.
• Lopez walks. Bases loaded again. Santana's not going to stay, either. Shelton's out and wants the lefty Ryan Borucki to face Conine's kid.
• Santana blows high heat by Mervis. Two outs.
• RUN. Then another passed ball on Bart allows everyone 90 free feet. Pirates, 4-2
• Santana walks Bride to load the bases.
• Stowers walks. That'll do it. Skenes slams the rosin bag down, but here comes Shelton, and then here comes Santana. Pitch count: 94. Wayyyyyyy more than I thought he'd get.
• Edwards walks. Mound visit. Dennis Santana gets up.
• Fortes whiffs to open the Miami sixth.
• Adam Frazier's in at second for Gonzales. And Skenes returns for more.
• Hayes pops out to second. Third out.
• Gonzales was just ushered down the steps out of the dugout. No chance he's staying in this game.
• HOME RUN. Gonzales lasers a two-run shot over the fence in left, but it comes at a price as he's limping the whole way around the bases. Pirates, 4-1
• Cutch skies out to center.
• Bart's hit by a pitch in the back. Doesn't seem wild about it. Takes his base.
• Random but fun: Reynolds became the first Pittsburgh hitter to record an RBI in three consecutive openers since Willie Stargell did so in five, 1974-78.
• End fifth inning. Pauley with a first-pitch lineout to Rodriguez for a 3-unassisted double play.
• I can't state strongly enough how impressed I am by Skenes' pickoff move. It wasn't like this in 2024.
• Hill pops up to second.
• Rodriguez is new to first base, and he's got his first error. Can't handle a bouncer right at him by Conine's kid. That's an E3.
• Cruz looks at the third strike. Doesn't like the call, but can't take there. Third out.
• The righty Lake Bachar on for Alcantara.
• McCullough's seen enough. Alcantara's out at 91 pitches. I like letting him face Reynolds even if it didn't work out but, to repeat from below, it sure seemed to me that Reynolds was seeing him even in the first two plate appearances.
• RUNS. Reynolds drills a two-run single up the middle, Pham to third. Pirates, 2-1
• Alcantara's visited on the mound by ... Danny Moskos! For real!
• Pham walks. Bases loaded for Reynolds, who's had a couple of healthy plate appearances even if they both resulted in groundouts to first.
• Double-steal. No throw. Crazy easy.
• Kiner-Falefa walks. Two aboard, two out for Pham.
• Hayes steals second easily.
• Hayes ends Alcantara's no-hitter at 4 2/3 innings by roping a single to right.
• Rodriguez whiffs. That's seven for Alcantara.
• Gonzales whiffs again.
• No signs in the Pirates' dugout or the bullpen that Skenes is done, for what it's worth.
• End fourth inning. Mervis 5-4-3. Pitch count: 67.
• Mervis blown away by high heat.
• Bride opens the Miami fourth with a squibber to third for an infield single. Hayes almost had him, which is nuts.
• Cutch with a high-chop 4-3 for the third out.
• Bart busts his bat on a 5-3. Cruz holds.
• Cruz steals second.
• Cruz walks on four straight.
• Reynolds with another 3-unassisted.
• End third inning. Stowers whiffs. Pitch count: 52.
• Passed ball allows Edwards to take second.
• RUN. Edwards bounces one to second. Gonzales tried for a 4-6-3 but never had a chance. That's why I'd have liked Kiner-Falefa to have gone to third on the last play. Let Skenes get you out of it. Marlins, 1-0
• Awesome pickoff try by Skenes. Nearly got Fortes.
• Fortes bounces to short, and Kiner-Falefa tries for two. Doesn't get the second. Runners at the corners, one out for Edwards.
• Now Pauley reaches when Kiner-Falefa's throw to first off a routine grounder pulls Rodriguez off the bag. It's scored a single for some reason.
• Out of nowhere, Hill lasers Skenes' first pitch of the third off the base of the fence in left for a double. Pitch wasn't even in the zone.
• Pham's frozen. Third out. He gets a little animated, but not at Ben May the home plate ump. Visibly angry with himself, two-handing the bat off his own helmet.
• Kiner-Falefa rung up.
• Hayes caught looking. Had zero intention of swinging.
• Rodriguez walks. Game's first baserunner.
• End second inning. Conine's offspring whiffs. Pitch count: 33.
• Lopez whiffs. Two-seamer.
• Mervis comebacker.
• Gonzales whiff. Six up, six down.
• Cutch 5-3.
• Bart 6-3.
• End first inning. Bride 4-3. That's 20 pitches already for Skenes, and it's not likely that he'll go much beyond 60, based on stuff Shelton said the other day in Fort Myers regarding all his starters.
• Stowers can't hold up. That's two.
• Edwards works Skenes for eight pitches, but whiffs over a changeup.
• Cruz flies out to deep right-center. 1-2-3.
• Reynolds sharp grounder, 3-unassisted.
• Pham rung up. Outer corner.
• First pitch: Pirates vs. Marlins, Alcantara to Pham, 4:10 p.m., 79 degrees, sunny ... and the 144th season of the Pittsburgh Baseball Club's underway
• Threw the ceremonial first pitch, too. For a strike. Sign him up.
• Dan Marino's presenting a check at field level for his foundation. Looks like he could still sling it. Given the nature of the Steelers' ongoing quarterback pursuit, I wouldn't be surprised.
• With his start today, Paul Skenes becomes the youngest opening day starter in club history and is the youngest Major League Baseball pitcher to make an opening day start since José Fernandez in 2014 when he was 21 years and 243 days old.
• Tommy Pham hits leadoff today, while Endy Rodriguez gets the start at first base and Ke'Bryan Hayes hits in the eight hole.
• And for Derek Shelton's visitors:
1. Tommy Pham, LF
2. Bryan Reynolds, RF
3. Oneil Cruz, CF
4. Joey Bart, C
5. Andrew McCutchen, DH
6. Nick Gonzales, 2B
7. Endy Rodriguez, 1B
8. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
9. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, SS
• For Clayton McCullough's Marlins:
1. Xavier Edwards, SS
2. Kyle Stowers, LF
3. Jonah Bride, DH
4. Matt Mervis, 1B
5. Otto Lopez, 2B
6. Griffin Conine, RF
7. Derek Hill, CF
8. Graham Pauley, 3B
9. Nick Fortes, C
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