MLB

Blue Jays sunk by Marte's late homer in Marlins debut

Starling Marte celebrated his Miami debut with a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning, helping the Marlins top the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Jonathan Villar, Robbie Ray make Toronto debut after trade deadline acquisitions

Miami outfielder Starling Marte, making his debut for the team, hits a solo home run during the Marlins' 3-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday. (Mark Brown/Getty Images)

Starling Marte celebrated his Miami debut with a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning, helping the Marlins top the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 on Tuesday night.

Marte, who was acquired in a trade with Arizona on Monday, drove a 1-0 pitch from Shun Yamaguchi (1-3) deep to left-centre for his third homer. He also reached on an error in the sixth and scored from first on Garrett Cooper's double.

"Once I hit the ball I felt it," Marte said through a translator. "I knew it was gone and when I got to the dugout, it was great to enjoy it with the guys. I felt their support. It was a very joyful moment."

James Hoyt (1-0) got the final two outs in the eighth for the win, and Brandon Kintzler pitched a perfect ninth for his eighth save.

Jon Berti homered for Miami, which moved back above .500 at 16-15. It had dropped its last eight home games.

Manager Don Mattingly said he thought Monday's 5-3 win over Jacob deGrom and the New York Mets was a big energy boost for the team.

"You can feel that energy in our clubhouse today and on the field," he said. "And to be able to pull a win just adds to it."

Robbie Ray made his debut for Toronto, pitching 3 1/3 innings in relief of Julian Merryweather. Ray, who came over in a trade with the Diamondbacks on Monday, allowed two runs, one earned, and four hits.

"It's been a whirlwind, getting the call yesterday with my family, I have a wife and three kids, we were all in the car together," Ray said. "We had a day off, so we were all just kind of hanging out and get the phone call, immediately in my head I started scrambling because I had to get to Chase Field to get my bag, and I hadn't done any laundry yet, so scrambling to pack a bag for that.

"But I was excited, excited to be here and be a part of this team. So I think that was the one emotion I was really feeling, was excitement."

Jonathan Villar, who was traded from the Marlins to the Blue Jays at the deadline, drove in the first run of the game with a grounder in the first. But he also committed the error that put Marte on in the sixth.

Berti's second homer tied it at 1 in the third. But Derek Fisher put Toronto back in front with a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

Miami right-hander Elieser Hernandez departed in the third because of a sore lat muscle. Hernandez raised his hands after he threw three consecutive balls to Cavan Biggio and looked toward catcher Jorge Alfaro, prompting a mound visit from Mattingly and training staff.

Hernandez allowed one run and two hits in two-plus innings.

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