Marlins Top Phillies On Opening Day

     The Miami Marlins opened up the 2020 Major League Baseball season with a 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on Friday night. It was the first time that the Marlins faced a National League team and used a designated hitter. 

     Miami(1-0) struck first in the third inning. Jonathan Villar played in his first game as a Marlin and knocked in another new Marlin Francisco Cervelli with a sacrifice fly to center field.

     Philadelphia(0-1) was able to tie it up 1-1 in the bottom of the fifth. Didi Gregorius made his Phillies debut and smacked a solo home run to right field on a 2-2 pitch. 

     In the sixth inning, the Marlins put up four runs on the scoreboard. Jesus Aguilar helped out the Fish in his first contest in a Marlins uniform and gave them a 3-1 lead. He blasted a two-run homer to left-center field on a 0-2 count with Miguel Rojas on board. 

     Corey Dickerson would score on a wild pitch later in the frame for a three-run margin. Garrett Cooper, the first Marlins designated hitter in a National League game, came up and lined a double into the left-center field gap which scored Harold Ramirez. 

     The Phillies got a gift with two out in the seventh inning when Villar dropped a routine fly ball to right-center field off the bat of Jay Bruce. Gregorius raced around the bases and scored from first to make it 5-2.