Marlins fend off Braves in season finale

Heriberto Hernandez and Griffin Conine slugged solo home runs, giving the host Miami Marlins a 5-3 win over the Atlanta Braves on Sunday afternoon.

For the Braves (94-68), it was their last game before the playoffs. The National League East champions will face the division rival Philadelphia Phillies in the wild-card round.

It was the season finale for the Marlins (80-82), who won one more game than they did last year.

Sandy Alcantara, Miami's ace starter, tossed a scoreless ninth inning for his third career save. It was a fitting end of the year for Alcantara, who threw both the first and last pitch of the season for Miami.

Braves starter JR Ritchie (1-5) took the loss. He allowed seven hits, two walks and four runs in 5 2/3 innings.

Miami starter Janson Junk left with a no-decision. He allowed three hits, one walk and one run in 4 2/3 innings, fanning five. Michael Petersen (4-4) earned the win with 1 1/3 hitless innings of relief.

Mauricio Dubon ambushed Junk in the third inning, belting a first-pitch sweeper 385 feet to left for his 12th homer of the year. That 102-mph blast -- just over the glove of Hernandez -- gave Atlanta a 1-0 lead.

Hernandez got even in the fourth as he smacked a 1-0 changeup over the fence in left-center, tying the score 1-1. It was Hernandez's team-high and career-high 25th homer of the season, and it traveled 395 feet with a 105-mph exit velocity.

Hernandez also played a key role in the sixth inning by blistering a leadoff double to left-center at 107 mph. With two outs, Esteury Ruiz drove in Hernandez with the go-ahead run.

Later in the inning, the Marlins added Jared Serna's two-run double down the third base line to make it 4-1.

Working against reliever Calvin Faucher in the seventh, Atlanta closed its deficit to 4-3. Ha-Seong Kim walked to win a 10-pitch at-bat, and Brewer Hicklen lofted a bloop single to set up the rally. The Braves cashed in as DaShawn Keirsey Jr. hit an RBI groundout, and Dubon stroked an opposite-field, line-drive single to right for another run.

The Marlins extended their lead to 5-3 in the bottom of the seventh on Conine's 415-foot homer to right. That had a 110-mph exit velocity.

Alcantara did the rest in Miami's 2026 finale.