Pirates Collapse Late as Marlins Stun Them with Walk-Off Win on Opening Day

After a solid but not particularly dominant first four innings, Paul Skenes showed his best pitching in the fifth inning of his first career Opening Day start on Thursday. The Pittsburgh Pirates' young ace needed a quick frame to preserve his pitch count, and he delivered, retiring the Miami Marlins in order on just six pitches. That efficiency gave him the opportunity to return for the sixth, though the inning didn't go as smoothly. He issued a pair of walks before being pulled from the game.

Skenes’ final stat line was strong—5 1/3 innings pitched, two earned runs allowed (one of the runners he left on base later scored after the bullpen took over), three hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts. When he exited, the Pirates held a three-run lead, and it appeared they were in a comfortable position. However, the highly competitive rookie wasn’t completely satisfied with his outing, indicating a desire to execute better in later innings.

“Just gotta capitalize on it in the sixth, but it's early,” Skenes said. “There are always adjustments to be made. I'll do that.”

Unfortunately for the Pirates, the lead wouldn’t hold. The Marlins clawed their way back into the game, beginning with a run in the sixth off a passed ball. In the eighth, they capitalized on a defensive mistake when Oneil Cruz launched a throw home instead of hitting the cutoff man, allowing Otto Lopez to advance into scoring position. Moments later, Dane Myers delivered a crucial RBI single. Then, in the ninth, another miscue from Cruz proved costly—he misjudged a bounce off the wall, enabling Marlins catcher Nick Fortes to reach third base with a leadoff triple. Two batters later, Kyle Stowers delivered the decisive blow with a walk-off single, sealing a 5-4 victory for Miami.

The Pirates came into the season with optimism, primarily due to their talented young starting rotation led by Skenes. But one of the major questions surrounding this team has been whether they have enough support elsewhere—whether the bullpen is reliable, whether the offense can capitalize on opportunities, and whether the defense can hold up in crucial moments. While it was just one game, the loss reinforced some of those lingering concerns, particularly regarding the team’s defensive lapses.

"We didn't play good enough defense,” manager Derek Shelton said postgame. “We had opportunities. We didn't close it down. We had the lead late in the game and we didn't close it down [because] we didn't play good defense."

Pittsburgh’s defensive struggles weren’t confined to just the outfield. Earlier in the game, they failed to turn a routine double play in the third inning, which ultimately led to a run. First baseman Endy Rodríguez also committed an error in the fourth, misplaying a ground ball that extended the inning. However, much of the focus remained on Cruz, who is transitioning to center field for his first full season in that position. His aggressive but ill-advised throws were key turning points in the game, and he acknowledged afterward that he has to refine his decision-making in those moments.

“You learn a lot from days like this,” Cruz said, via coach and interpreter Stephen Morales. “You just learn from it and try to get better so that it doesn’t haunt you in the future. Just go at it the next day.”

With hindsight, Cruz admitted that attempting to throw out Stowers at home in the eighth inning was a mistake.

“I think, as an outfielder, your first reaction is to throw everybody out, but I think that was not the throw that I needed to make,” he said. “It was supposed to be a lower throw to give our infielders a chance to cut the ball and keep the double play in order and keep that guy at first base. Like I said, we’ll learn from it.”

Despite the frustrating loss, the Pirates did have some positives. Offensively, they were aggressive on the basepaths, stealing six bases. However, they struggled in key moments, going just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and leaving nine men on base. Meanwhile, the bullpen—particularly Colin Holderman and David Bednar—couldn’t hold the lead, allowing the final Marlins runs. Both pitchers had late-season struggles in 2023, making their early-season hiccups something to monitor moving forward.

Still, Shelton remains confident in his bullpen.

"It's one game in,” he said. “We have guys that have to perform. I have faith that our guys will get it done."

For Skenes, the takeaway from his outing is clear: he pitched well but knows there’s room for improvement. The same can be said for the Pirates as a whole. If they want to contend, they’ll need to make adjustments quickly—whether it’s better execution on defense, more consistency at the plate, or sharper late-game pitching.

"There are always adjustments to be made,” Skenes reiterated. “Little thing here, little thing there and we're 1-0. So, just gotta make those adjustments."

Instead, Pittsburgh starts the season 0-1, with plenty to learn from a game that slipped away.