Each night in the 2016 baseball season, we'll run down the top news, facts and highlights from action around Major League Baseball.
After Derek Dietrich cracked a two-out, walk-off triple to give the Marlins a 5-4 win over the Cardinals on Sunday at Marlins Park, he ran around the field and teammates stripped off his jersey in celebration.
"It was ripped off of me," Dietrich told reporters. "I can't say I haven't walked around with my shirt off before, so it was a little bit uncomfortable. It was a fun moment, definitely just to have an opportunity to be up there to win the game after not playing a couple games."
MORE: Indians throw gauntlet to rest of AL
Such dramatic finishes don't come very often, but there could be more good times ahead for the Marlins. Coming on the heels of Saturday's 11-0 blowout win over the Cardinals, Sunday's walk-off victory boosted Miami (57-48) past St. Louis (56-49) and into the second wild-card position in the NL.
Not much was expected from the Marlins entering the season. Playing in the same division with the Nationals and the Mets, the Marlins were picked to finish third at best. And the Fish seemed en route to fulfilling that mediocrity, cruising along at around the .500 mark through mid-June. But the Marlins are starting to make some noise in the NL playoff race. Giancarlo Stanton rebounded from a rough June to hit seven home runs, with a .986 OPS in July.
Outfielders Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich are having fine seasons, as is third baseman Martin Prado. Dee Gordon recently rejoined the team after serving an 80-game suspension for violating MLB's performance-enhancing drug policy, and first basemen Justin Bour hopes to return to the lineup in early August after being out since July 3 with an ankle injury.
Staff ace Jose Fernandez (12-5, 2.87 ERA) has had a couple of rocky outings lately, but is the type of pitcher who can win a wild-card game. If the Marlins can just make it to the wild-card round, they will be a tough draw.
Meanwhile, the Cubs keep finding ways to win at Wrigley Field. Chicago is 34-17 at home following Sunday night's come-from-behind 7-6 win over the Mariners after Seattle closer Steve Cishek imploded in the bottom of the ninth by blowing a three-run lead.
After Cishek struck out Kris Bryant, he allowed a double by Anthony Rizzo and a Ben Zobrist single. Rizzo scored on Addison Russell's RBI single before Cishek loaded the bases by hitting Jason Heyward on the foot. Zobrist scored on a grounder to short that didn't end the inning because Willson Contreras beat the relay throw to first. The game was tied when Cishek badly missed the plate with a pitch that went to the backstop and allowed Russell to score from third.
The Cubs then won it in the 12th inning on Jon Lester's suicide bunt that scored Heyward, who led off the inning with a double. It was Sunday's second 12-inning game after Baltimore's 6-2 win over the Blue Jays.
Player of the day
Miguel Cabrera, Tigers: The Tigers won an 11-0 laugher over the Astros, and Cabrera had more fun than anyone, crushing two home runs and driving in four runs as part of a 3-for-4 day that also included three runs scored.
Highlight
Stealing home has become a rarity in Major League Baseball. And a player who steals home standing up? That's rarer than a total eclipse. San Diego's Wil Myers caught Reds pitcher Homer Bailey napping to swipe home with ease Sunday.
Three things to know
— Things got strange in San Francisco on Sunday. Pitcher Madison Bumgarner pinch-hit for Matt Cain, who had a no-hitter intact through five innings. Bumgarner doubled off the wall and then was replaced by pinch runner (and fellow pitcher) Jeff Samardzija. It's certainly not the first time a pitcher has pinch-hit for a pitcher in MLB history, but we can't imagine too many scenarios where that pitcher was in turn replaced by a fellow pitcher as a pinch-runner.
— Ichiro Suzuki went hitless in his only plate appearance Sunday against the Cardinals and is still two hits short of the 3,000 mark.
— Jonathan Lucroy exercised the no-trade clause in his contract, voiding a deal the Brewers had in place to trade the catcher to the Indians. Reports on Saturday said the deal was imminent, but Lucroy could still land somewhere before Monday's 4 p.m. ET trade deadline.
What's next
Yankees (52-52) at Mets (54-50), 7:10 p.m. ET: These two crosstown rivals are viewed as heading in opposite directions, but the Yankees are only two games behind the Mets in terms of their win-loss record. CC Sabathia (6-8, 3.95 ERA) will open the series for the Yankees. He pitched very well early in the season, but has a 6.70 ERA in his past seven starts. The Mets will counter with Logan Verrett, who has a 4.12 ERA in 27 appearances as a starter and reliever.
Blue Jays (59-46) at Astros (55-49), 8:10 p.m. ET: Who knows, these two clubs could meet in October, but first they're each scrambling to win their division. Pitching has been a key for both teams, with the Astros second in the AL in staff ERA entering Sunday's action, and the Blue Jays third. Marcus Stroman (8-4, 4.92 ERA) will go for the Jays. Doug Fister had been scheduled to start for Houston, but was scratched so he can be home with his wife, who is expecting their first child. That could open the door for the MLB debut of Joe Musgrove, who has a 3.81 ERA and 1.14 WHIP at Triple-A Fresno.