Miami, Fla. — The Washington Nationals fended off a late surge by the Miami Marlins to secure a 7-5 victory on September 9, 2025, at loanDepot park, improving their record to 60-84 in the National League East. The Marlins, now 66-79, fell despite a ninth-inning rally that brought the tying run to the plate. Key offensive contributions from Josh Bell and Daylen Lile, paired with a resilient pitching effort led by Mitchell Parker, powered the Nationals to the win before 8,634 fans.
The Nationals struck early against Marlins starter Adam Mazur. In the first inning, CJ Abrams singled and James Wood doubled, setting the stage for Bell’s three-run homer to right-center, his 20th of the season, giving Washington a 3-0 lead. The Marlins answered in the second when Joey Wiemer hit a solo home run to left off Parker, his second of the year, trimming the deficit to 3-1. Mazur, who took the loss and fell to 0-3 with a 6.30 ERA, struggled, allowing six runs (four earned) on eight hits over 4.1 innings.
Washington extended their lead in the fourth. Jorge Alfaro singled, advanced on a walk to Brady House, and scored on Jacob Young’s sacrifice fly, making it 4-1. With two outs, Wood grounded into a force out that scored House, pushing the lead to 5-1. In the fifth, Lile launched his fifth home run, a solo shot to right, increasing the Nationals’ advantage to 6-1. Bell added a sacrifice fly in the sixth, scoring Abrams, who had reached on a double and stolen his 29th base, to make it 7-1.
Parker earned the win, improving to 8-15 with a 5.69 ERA, pitching 7.2 innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits. He struck out two, walked two, and threw 96 pitches, 62 for strikes, inducing nine groundouts. The Marlins capitalized on a fielding error by House and a passed ball by Alfaro, but Parker limited further damage, retiring 28 batters. Reliever Kyle Poulin allowed one inherited runner to score in the eighth, and Cole Henry surrendered two runs in the ninth. Jose Ferrer secured his eighth save, navigating a bases-loaded threat with a strikeout and groundout, though he committed a pitch-timer violation.
The Marlins’ rally began in the eighth when Wiemer walked, Maximo Acosta singled, and Agustín Ramírez’s single scored Wiemer, making it 7-2. In the ninth, Heriberto Hernández singled, Liam Hicks was hit by a pitch, and Victor Mesa Jr.’s double drove in both, cutting the lead to 7-4. Xavier Edwards followed with a single, scoring Mesa Jr. to make it 7-5, but Ferrer shut the door. Miami’s offense totaled eight hits, with Wiemer’s homer, Mesa Jr.’s double, and Edwards’ RBI single leading the way. The Marlins went 3-for-9 with runners in scoring position but left six on base.
Washington’s 10 hits were paced by Bell, who went 1-for-4 with four RBIs, and Lile, who went 2-for-5 with a homer. Abrams (2-for-4, double) and Wood (2-for-4, double) each scored twice, while Young and House contributed RBIs. The Nationals went 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position, leaving eight on base. Defensively, they turned a double play in the seventh, with Luis García Jr., Abrams, and Bell combining, though House’s error in the eighth proved costly.
Miami’s bullpen, featuring Seth Martinez, Valente Bellozo, and Josh Simpson, allowed one run over 4.2 innings. Martinez issued a balk, and Eric Wagaman’s fielding error in the fourth led to an unearned run. The game, played under a closed roof with a temperature of 72 degrees, lasted 3 hours and 8 minutes, officiated by umpires Brian O’Nora (home plate), Mike Estabrook (first base), Laz Diaz (second base), and Erich Bacchus (third base).
