Avisail Garcia grand slam lifts Miami Marlins over Milwaukee Brewers

Avisail Garcia got hold of a Freddy Peralta four-seam fastball and watched as the ball soared through the air at American Family Field in the eighth inning of the Miami Marlins’ series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. The ball continued to carry up the middle of the field, until it beyond Tyrone Taylor’s leaping reach and beyond the ballpark’s center-field walk.

Peralta tilted his head to the ground. Garcia pointed his right hand to the sky as began his trot around the bases, emphatically slapped third base coach Al Pedrique’s hand and celebrated with teammates waiting for him at home plate.

Garcia’s go-ahead grand slam — the first of his career in his first game back at his old ballpark in the first game off his latest injured list stint — lifted the Marlins to a 4-2 win over the Brewers on Thursday to begin a four-game series. Miami improves to 65-91 on the season. The Brewers are 83-73, a half-game behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the National League’s third and final wild card spot.

Prior to the home run, Garcia was 0 for 3 at the plate and misplayed a pair of balls in right field that contributed to the Brewers scoring both of their runs in the second inning.

But when he got one final opportunity to make an impact on the game, Garcia struck.

He stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs after Jordan Groshans hit a leadoff single to right, Jon Berti hit a one-out single to left and Brian Anderson walked on four pitches with two outs. Garcia fouled off the first pitch he saw, took a fastball out of the zone and whiffed on a near middle-middle fastball before connecting for the grand slam.

It was Garcia’s eighth home run of the season.

Garcia played for the Brewers in the 2020 and 2021 seasons before signing a four-year deal this offseason with the Marlins.

More game recap

▪ Left-handed pitcher Braxton Garrett held the Brewers to two runs on six hits while striking out two over four innings. All the damage came in a 31-pitch second inning.

▪ Right-handed pitcher Bryan Hoeing, who was the Marlins’ first reliever of the night and was going to be used in a long-relief role, exited the game after facing just two batters when a Willy Adames comebacker hit him in the right lower leg. Jeff Brigham (1 1/3 innings), Tommy Nance (one inning), Jake Fishman (one inning) and Dylan Floro (one inning) took care of the rest of the pitching duties on Thursday.