Miami Marlins vs Boston Red Sox

Mickey Gasper opened the scoring in the second inning, taking a 96.5 mph fastball from Miami starter Tyler Phillips deep to centre field for a solo home run. Phillips struck out seven over 4⅔ innings and kept the Red Sox quiet after that.

Boston rookie Payton Tolle carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning before Xavier Edwards led off with a double. Tolle loaded the bases and Brian Navarreto tied the game with a sacrifice fly after a 10-pitch at-bat.

Gasper struck again in the sixth, this time sending a 95 mph four-seamer from reliever Tyler Zuber 418 feet to centre for his second homer of the night — the first multi-homer game of his career — putting Boston back ahead 2-1.

Miami answered in the bottom half when Heriberto Hernández homered to knot the score at 2-2, and that is where it stayed through nine innings.

In the 10th, automatic runner Connor Wong scored from second on a passed ball by Navarreto that hit home-plate umpire David Rackley, giving Boston a 3-2 lead. Miami tied it in the bottom of the frame on a dropped third strike — a wild pitch that would have ended the game had the out been recorded.

"A wild game," interim manager Chad Tracy said. "No doubt about it. There was a lot of stuff going on on both sides and back-and-forth and tied and then it's untied."

Willson Contreras led off the 11th with a single that advanced automatic runner Wilyer Abreu to third. Jahmai Jones walked to load the bases, and Abreu was forced at home on Andruw Monasterio's grounder. That brought up Duran.

The 29-year-old left-fielder jumped on Gibson's sweeper and sent it deep to right for his second career grand slam (his first came against Baltimore on April 25, 2023). The ball cleared the wall with room to spare, and Boston had its fifth straight win.

"I feel like we've been in these situations so many times throughout our career," Duran said. "It just kind of becomes normal to come up in a situation like that. So just kind of try and keep yourself calm and act like you've done that before, and just stay confident."

His 17 RBIs in the ninth inning or later this season lead all of MLB.

Alec Gamboa (1-0) tossed 1⅓ hitless innings for his first major league win. Gibson (2-1) took the loss.

"Extra innings, bases loaded, that's what you do in the backyard," Gasper said. "It's probably one of the coolest swings I've ever seen in person."

The game tilted on a single pitch in the 11th. After the Marlins navigated the first three batters without allowing a run on the bases-loaded threat, Gibson left a sweeper in the middle of the zone. Duran — who had been ice-cold at the plate all night — made him pay. The 4-0 swing turned a 3-3 tie into a 7-3 lead, and the Marlins never threatened in the bottom half.

• Jarren Duran (BOS): 1-for-5, grand slam (18th HR), 4 RBIs. MLB-leading 17 RBIs from the 9th inning on. Hit .263 in August after a tough season overall (.209 BA, .636 OPS).
• Mickey Gasper (BOS): 2-for-4, 2 HR (5th of season), 2 RBIs. First career two-homer game. Second homer travelled a Statcast-projected 418 feet.
• Alec Gamboa (BOS): 1⅓ IP, 0 H, 0 R, first MLB win.
• Tyler Phillips (MIA): 4⅔ IP, 1 ER, 7 K, kept Miami in the game.

Both teams finished with seven hits apiece and each committed two errors, reflecting a scrappy, defence-optional night in which runs came in bunches rather than sustained pressure. Boston's five-run 11th was the only multi-run inning of the game for either side — every other scoring frame produced exactly one run. The Red Sox hit two solo homers before the slam, relying on the long ball for all seven runs. Miami's runs came via a sacrifice fly, a solo homer, and a wild pitch.

Boston (73-59) has won five straight and sits 6.5 games clear in the second AL Wild Card spot. They trail the Rays (78-54) by five games in the AL East but look increasingly likely to reach the postseason. Miami (67-66) drops to 4 GB of the final NL Wild Card berth with three other teams also in the hunt.

Next up: The series finale on Wednesday, August 26. Boston right-hander Sonny Gray (16-3, 2.79 ERA) faces Miami righty Ryan Gusto (0-3, 4.37).

A textbook late-season statement win for a team that believes it belongs in October. Boston's identity — find a way late, even when individuals struggle — was encapsulated in one swing from Duran and a career night from Gasper. For Miami, it was a missed opportunity at home against a Wild Card rival.