Ke’Bryan Hayes contributed with a single and an RBI double, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates secure a 7-2 victory over the Marlins on Friday night.
The Pirates got additional doubles from Michael A. Taylor and Connor Joe in front of a crowd of 13,636 at loanDepot park, a significant drop from the opening day attendance of 32,564. Marlins games have typically had low attendance, but Thursday’s opening-day home crowd was the largest in Miami since 2016.
Starter Martín Pérez performed well, holding the Marlins to just one run through four innings in his Pirates debut. The 36-year-old left-hander, who signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh after winning the World Series with Texas last November, allowed six hits while striking out two and walking three.
Ryder Ryan took over for Pérez in the fifth inning, pitching 1 2/3 innings of one-hit ball with two strikeouts. Josh Flemming followed, limiting Miami to one hit in the seventh and eighth innings before encountering some trouble in the ninth. However, he managed to retire the side with a popout and two groundouts.
Miami’s A.J. Puk had a challenging outing in his first big league start, giving up three hits, four runs, and six walks in just two innings. Puk, who had a 7-5 record in 58 relief appearances last season, struggled with his command and was replaced by Bryan Hoeing. Despite Hoeing’s efforts, the Marlins couldn’t recover from the early deficit and were held to just one run.
