{"id":231491,"date":"2026-04-14T17:14:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T17:14:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/231491\/"},"modified":"2026-04-14T17:14:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T17:14:12","slug":"marlins-punch-first-miami-tops-braves-10-4-as-nl-easts-two-most-international-rosters-collide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/231491\/","title":{"rendered":"Marlins Punch First: Miami Tops Braves 10-4 as NL East\u2019s Two Most International Rosters Collide"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Miami Marlins<\/a> didn\u2019t ease into their biggest series of the young season. They made a statement.<\/p>\n

Behind a three-run home run from Agust\u00edn Ram\u00edrez and a three-hit, three-RBI night from Liam Hicks, Miami beat the Atlanta Braves 10-4 on Monday night at Truist Park in front of 22,912 fans. The win pulled the Marlins to 9-8 and within a single game of first place in the NL East. It also drew a line under something that had been building all season: the two best teams in the division are also the two most internationally diverse rosters in the National League.<\/p>\n

They just happen to be the Marlins and the Braves<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Miami Marlins pitcher Eury P\u00e9rez delivers in the first inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Monday, April 13, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo\/Colin Hubbard)<\/p>\n

Ram\u00edrez Breaks It Open<\/p>\n

The game turned in the top of the fifth. Miami had built a 3-0 lead in the fourth \u2014 a Hicks sacrifice fly, an Otto Lopez RBI single, a Connor Norby RBI knock \u2014 only to watch Atlanta answer with three in the bottom half, capped by a Dominic Smith sacrifice fly that tied it at 3.<\/p>\n

Grant Holmes came out for the fifth and was pulled after five pitches. Aaron Bummer entered. Graham Pauley singled. Xavier Edwards singled. And Agust\u00edn Ram\u00edrez turned on a 1-2 fastball and drove it 418 feet to left-center field.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

El dominicano Agust\u00edn Ram\u00edrez de los Marlins de Miami le da los cinco a sus compa\u00f1eros tras anotar en la cuarta entrada ante los Bravos de Atlanta el lunes 13 de abril del 2026. (AP Foto\/Colin Hubbard)<\/p>\n

It was Ram\u00edrez\u2019s first home run of 2026. It was the loudest swing of his young career. Three runs scored. The Braves never led again.<\/p>\n

Connor Norby added a solo home run off Rolddy Mu\u00f1oz to lead off the sixth. By the time Miami\u2019s dugout had settled back down, it was 7-4, and the series opener against the division leader was effectively over.<\/p>\n

The Quiet MVP: Liam Hicks<\/p>\n

While Ram\u00edrez delivered the headline swing, Hicks controlled the game.<\/p>\n

The 27-year-old Canadian catcher finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs \u2014 a sacrifice fly in the fourth, an RBI single in the sixth, and another RBI single in the eighth. He also stole a base in the fifth inning, his first steal of the season. In a lineup that had leaned on Xavier Edwards and Otto Lopez through the first three weeks, Hicks was the stabilizing force Monday night. He kept innings alive. He turned over the lineup. He took the pressure off the hitters behind him.<\/p>\n

Hicks now has 16 RBI on the season. He is quietly hitting .319 with a .902 OPS. If Caissie is the story of Canada\u2019s impact on the 2026 Marlins, Hicks is the engine.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Miami Marlins pitcher Anthony Bender, right, and catcher Liam Hicks celebrate after a baseball game against the New York Yankees, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo\/Seth Wenig)<\/p>\n

Eury P\u00e9rez Grinds Through<\/p>\n

Eury P\u00e9rez did not dominate Monday. He gave Miami four innings, seven hits, four runs (three earned), two walks, two strikeouts. His fastball touched 99 mph. He struck out Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr<\/a>. swinging in the first. He also loaded the bases, gave up three runs in the bottom of the fourth, and watched his pitch count climb into the 70s before he could escape the inning.<\/p>\n

But he gave his team a chance. By the time he exited after four, the game was 3-3 \u2014 not 7-0 the other way. That\u2019s the 2026 Eury P\u00e9rez story so far: stuff for days, command still catching up, outings that look worse on paper than they played on the field. Andrew Nardi earned the win out of the bullpen with a scoreless fifth. Lake Bachar threw two scoreless with four strikeouts to lock it down.<\/p>\n

Defense Sets the Tone<\/p>\n

One play, third inning, bottom of the inning, no outs. Dominic Smith doubled. Michael Harris II walked. First and second, nobody out, Braves down 0-0 but with the middle of their order coming up.<\/p>\n

Mauricio Dub\u00f3n popped out in foul territory. Then Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr. hit a fly ball to center field. Jakob Marsee caught it. And threw a strike to Otto Lopez, who relayed to Graham Pauley at third base in time to double off Smith.<\/p>\n

Inning over. Rally killed. The Braves\u2019 best chance of the early innings, gone in one sequence of execution from three Marlins defenders \u2014 Marsee, Lopez, Pauley \u2014 who had combined, entering the game, for one highlight-reel defensive play in 16 games.<\/p>\n

The Marlins also turned a 6-4-3 double play in the second, caught Hicks stealing, and committed zero errors. For a team that entered the game with 15 errors in 16 games \u2014 the most in MLB \u2014 Monday was a clean night.<\/p>\n

The International Frame<\/p>\n

Miami\u2019s 10 runs broke down by country of origin like this:<\/p>\n

Agust\u00edn Ram\u00edrez ?? \u2014 4 RBI
\nLiam Hicks ?? \u2014 3 RBI
\nConnor Norby ?? \u2014 2 RBI (solo HR, RBI single)
\nOtto Lopez ?? \u2014 1 RBI<\/p>\n

Eight of 10 runs driven in by international players. Xavier Edwards (Mexico, dual) scored twice. Heriberto Hern\u00e1ndez (Dominican Republic) stole his third base of the season. Eury P\u00e9rez (Dominican Republic) kept Miami in the game until the bats took it over.<\/p>\n

On the Braves\u2019 side, the international contingent Miami faced was substantial in its own right: Ozzie Albies (Cura\u00e7ao) at second base. Mauricio Dub\u00f3n (Honduras) \u2014 the only Honduran currently on an MLB 40-man \u2014 at shortstop and left field. Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr. (Venezuela) in right. Rolddy Mu\u00f1oz (Dominican Republic) and Jos\u00e9 Suarez (Venezuela) out of the bullpen.<\/p>\n

Ten international players touched the field at Truist Park on Monday night. Two Canadians, six Dominicans, two Venezuelans, one Cura\u00e7aoan, one Honduran, one dual-citizen Mexican. This is what NL East baseball looks like in 2026. This is the frame WBN has been covering since spring training. Monday night was what it looks like when both teams show up at full volume.<\/p>\n

What It Means<\/p>\n

The Marlins have taken the first game of a two-game set against the division leader, on the road, with their No. 2 starter grinding through four innings and their offense accounting for 16 hits. They\u2019ve flipped the series before it was really a series. They\u2019ve closed the gap in the NL East from two games to one.<\/p>\n

For Atlanta, the loss reinforces an early-season pattern of extremes \u2014 blowout wins sandwiched between flat nights. For Miami, it reinforces something else entirely: this team belongs in the race.<\/p>\n

Tuesday night, Max Meyer faces Reynaldo L\u00f3pez \u2014 the Dominican right-hander whose 1.15 ERA has him at the front of every early Cy Young conversation in the National League. The series isn\u2019t over. The message, after Monday, is clear.<\/p>\n

International Player of the Game<\/p>\n

?? Agust\u00edn Ram\u00edrez \u2014 3-for-4, HR, 4 RBI. The 24-year-old Dominican catcher\u2019s first home run of 2026 broke the game open. The swing of the night, against an Atlanta bullpen that had stabilized the game. First breakout moment of a young career.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Miami Marlins\u2019 Agust\u00edn Ram\u00edrez runs to third base in the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Monday, April 13, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo\/Colin Hubbard)<\/p>\n

Up Next<\/p>\n

Max Meyer (1-0, 3.68) vs. Reynaldo L\u00f3pez (1-0, 1.15) \u00b7 Tuesday, April 14, 7:15 PM ET \u00b7 Truist Park, Atlanta. TV<\/a>: Marlins.TV<\/a>, BravesVision, Gray TV. Radio: WQAM 560, WAQI 710 (Spanish).<\/p>\n

Miami Files #019 \u00b7 World Baseball Network \u00b7 Baseball Without Borders<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Miami Marlins didn\u2019t ease into their biggest series of the young season. They made a statement. Behind…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":231492,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[123,125,124],"class_list":["post-231491","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=231491"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/231491\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/231492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=231491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=231491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=231491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}