Marlins sweep Nationals, secure winning home record for season

Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald on Aug 23, 2026

Published in Baseball

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MIAMI — No matter what happens the rest of this Miami Marlins season — and there’s a lot to play for over this final month as they attempt to sneak into the playoff field — one thing is certain: They have secured a winning record at loanDepot park for the campaign.

With their series sweep of the Washington Nationals, capped Sunday by a 6-2 win after opening the series with a 3-2 win Friday and 4-2 win Saturday, Miami is now 41-25 at home this season with 15 home games remaining. It’s the first time Miami has secured a winning home record since 2023, the last time they made the playoffs.

The franchise record for home wins in a season came in 2003, when the Marlins went 53-28 at home on the way to their second World Series.

Miami’s 41 home wins are the fourth most in MLB, behind only the Milwaukee Brewers (45), Tampa Bay Rays (43) and Atlanta Braves (42).

“Being able to hold serve at home and be able to win games at home and win series at home is an important part of ... [how you] punch your ticket into playing beyond the regular season,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “Being good at home is generally part of the criteria.”

On Sunday, the Marlins (67-64) took the lead for good on an Xavier Edwards two-run single in the fifth inning. Miami then tacked on two more runs in the sixth on a Joe Mack pinch-hit RBI double and an Otto Lopez sacrifice fly. Heriberto Hernandez opened scoring in the first on a double to right field. A Mack RBI fielder’s choice in the eighth capped scoring.

Four of Miami’s six runs that scored were by players who reached base via walk.

“We talk a lot about controlling the strike zone and how important that is,” McCullough said. “It’s not about being passive. It’s that if you don’t get pitches where you’re looking for or if you don’t get them in a lane or a zone you’re looking for to check off. And today we did that.”

It was enough run production to support the pitching staff, which saw five pitchers combine to hold the Nationals (61-71) to two runs on five hits. Janson Junk held Washington to one run over 4 2/3 innings before being pulled with two runners on base with two outs in the fifth. Michael Petersen then walked Daylen Lile to load the bases before stranding all three by striking out Abimelec Ortiz.

Calvin Faucher, who recorded the save in Saturday’s win, gave up a run in the sixth on a Jorbit Vivas RBI double but minimized the damage otherwise.

Jack Ralston, making his MLB debut after being recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville prior to the game, threw two shutout innings with a pair of strikeouts before Pete Fairbanks capped the win with a scoreless ninth.