Alcantara gets another save, Hernández, Conine homer as Marlins beat playoff-bound Braves 5-3

By: The Associated Press Posted: 5:19 PM CDT Sunday, Sep. 27, 2026

MIAMI (AP) — Major league-innings leader Sandy Alcantara got his third save, Heriberto Hernández and Griffin Conine homered and the Miami Marlins beat the the playoff-bound Atlanta Braves 5-3 in Sunday's regular-season finale.

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Alcantara worked around an error in a hitless ninth to remain perfect in three save chances. The Marlins ace finished 13-11 with a 3.87 ERA in 33 starts and three relief appearances.

NL East champion Atlanta, which hosts Philadelphia in a best-of-three Wild Card Series starting Tuesday, finished 94-68 for an 18-win improvement over last year’s fourth-place finish.

Miami Marlins Sandy Alcantara, right, celebrates beating the Atlanta Braves with catcher Brian Navarreto after the ninth inning of a baseball game, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

Miami improved by one win to 80-82 but finished with its third straight losing season and 15th in 17 years.

Braves slugger Matt Olson and infielder Ozzie Albies played in every game this season. Olson has not missed a game with Atlanta since he joined the club in 2022 and his consecutive games streak of 944 began on May 2, 2021, while with the Oakland Athletics.

Miami’s Otto López didn’t play, ending with a major league-best 191 hits.

The Marlins finished 29th in home attendance at 1,221,018.

Miami chased Atlanta starter JR Ritchie (1-5) during a three-run sixth. Esteury Ruiz hit an RBI single that snapped a 1-all tie and Jared Serna added a two-run double.

After DaShawn Keirsey’s RBI groundout and Mauricio Dubón’s run-scoring single narrowed the gap for Atlanta in the seventh, Conine connected with a 110.2 mph solo drive that landed in the upper deck seats.

Michael Petersen (4-4) threw 1 1/3 innings of relief.

Dubón put Atlanta ahead 1-0 with a solo homer in the third before Miami tied it on Hernández’s drive in the fourth.