MIAMI -- Dominican Heritage Night at loanDepot park was a full-blown fiesta.
Custom shirts, a mambo dance cam, fans doing “the wave,” and a postgame concert from El Chaval de la Bachata were just some of the treats Marlins fans received during the jam-packed palooza.
A riveting baseball game was the cherry on top, and though the Fish were ultimately hooked 7-6 in 12 innings by the Blue Jays, they showed a resolve worthy of their “Fightin’” tagline.
After falling behind 4-0, the Marlins clawed their way back in the seventh. They plated three runs in the frame, the last of which was a pinch-hit single from the Dominican-born Otto Lopez.
Javier Sanoja’s RBI single tied the game in the ninth, and after Toronto took a 5-4 lead in the 10th, Lopez scored another game-tying run thanks to a Jakob Marsee double. And after Toronto went up 6-5 in the top of the 11th, Sanoja proved clutch again with another RBI to even the tally.
Bo Bichette, though, has been around big baseball moments all his life, and he emerged heroic for the Blue Jays in the 12th with a game-deciding single.
Still, amid defeat, McCullough had an A-rated review for his team’s effort.
“I loved how we were able to come back [after] pretty much being shut down by [José] Berríos the first six innings or so,” McCullough said postgame. “... [We] put together that big three-run inning to get back into it.
“And I thought we really -- the last three, four innings of this game offensively, it was like night-and-day from the first part of the game. I thought we just had really terrific at-bats, used the entire field. … So tough one to lose. [It’s] great that we came back, and a lot of good moments by a lot of people today. We just weren't able to get it done.”
The Marlins got a plus performance from Janson Junk, who was one out away from a quality start when he was pulled in the sixth with right arm discomfort. Junk, who finished the start with three strikeouts and three earned runs on six hits, said he felt okay after the game.
“Just felt something in the forearm, nothing painful,” said Junk, who threw 92 pitches on Saturday. “But trainers came out, and it being one pitch -- feeling something -- just wanted to … be more cautious about it.
“ … It raises a little level of concern, but we’ll reassess tomorrow and go from there.”
It was a disappointing end to what otherwise would've been a positive day for Junk, who was pleased with his plan of attack.
And though he’s focused on the now for now, he took some time to reflect on what’s been the best year of his career thus far.
“The staff has been really good in letting me do what I do best,” said Junk, who’s 6-2 with a 4.09 ERA. “Being transparent on what I don’t do best … and really trusting me to go out there and succeed, fail, learn from those failures.
“That’s the biggest thing. Being able to be comfortable failing. Learn from it, moving on … and then you can go back, and when that moment arises again, you’re better prepared for that. … Overall, I think I’ve been doing really good.”
Junk had effusive praise for Sanoja’s defense and offense, the latter of which was historic in measure Saturday: He became the first Marlin to record multiple game-tying hits in the ninth inning or later of the same game.
“We were talking about him in the training room after, just about how great of a ballplayer he is,” Junk smiled.
“And a great person. He comes to the field every day and doesn’t take ABs off, doesn’t take pitches off, no matter what the score is, he’s laying out, and turning double plays … giving his all. And that’s really what you want in your teammate. … He’s just a great spark of energy for us.”
Sanoja’s an “Energizer Bunny,” having shown his versatility with five hits (including a homer), multiple double-play turns, multiple diving stops and a stolen base -- all over the span of two days. He revealed that his infectious energy was his best attribute.
“It’s my favorite skill,” Sanoja said via interpreter Jon Erik Alvarez. “Every day, I’m around the clubhouse and I’m on the field, I’m trying to lift everybody up to go out there to get ready for the game, to battle on and get a victory.”
“[I’m] running out of superlatives for Javi,” McCullough beamed.