Stowers’ Walk-Off Grand Slam Sparks Marlins’ Comeback in “Retrowave” Debut

By: Jeff Norris | May 4, 2025

PC: Field Level Media

MIAMI, FLORIDA — Turns out the Marlins’ new City Connect 2.0 "Retrowave" uniforms might have more than just flair—they might have a little magic.

In the flashy new look that pays tribute to Miami’s “Magic City” nickname, Kyle Stowers delivered a walk-off grand slam to cap a dramatic five-run rally in the bottom of the ninth. The Marlins stunned the Oakland Athletics 9-6 on Saturday night at loanDepot park, snapping a six-game losing streak in style.

“We're not taking these things off,” joked manager Clayton McCullough postgame, grinning about the debut of the vibrant alternate jerseys.

The walk-off was the fourth of the season for Miami—second most in the Majors—and marked Stowers’ second game-winning hit of the year, following his Opening Day heroics on March 27. The towering blast was the sixth walk-off grand slam in franchise history, and the first since Giancarlo Stanton did it in 2014.

“Surreal. Blackout,” Stowers said. “Family was here—my wife, her parents, some friends. Always special to do something like that in front of people who love you. This is why you play the game. I’m just grateful to God for the opportunity.”

The ninth-inning magic unfolded against Mason Miller, Oakland’s flamethrowing closer who entered the game 10-for-10 in save opportunities with a fastball regularly hitting triple digits.

Matt Mervis was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, despite having struck out three times earlier and snapping his bat in frustration. After back-to-back strikeouts, the Marlins were down to their final out with just a 4.4% win probability—until the bottom of the lineup sparked a rally.

Javier Sanoja, starting in place of injured Otto Lopez, doubled for the second time in the game. Ronny Simon, a late replacement for Jesús Sánchez, worked a walk. A wild pitch brought Mervis home and advanced Sanoja to third. Then, Xavier Edwards walked to load the bases.

“He was kind of losing control,” Edwards said of Miller. “I just wanted to stay locked in and pass it along. No worse feeling than making the last out. I’m just glad I gave us a chance.”

That brought up Stowers, one of MLB’s breakout stars this season. Already with a two-run homer earlier in the game, he jumped on the first pitch—a 101.7 mph fastball—and crushed it over the left-center field wall. It was the fastest pitch a Marlin has ever homered off in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008).

Stowers has now gone deep four times since Wednesday, including the first two multi-homer games of his career. He entered the night hitting .320, and now sits at .324 with a .944 OPS.

McCullough called the win a reflection of the club’s true identity—resilient, energized, and full of promise. It’s a spirit that mirrors the Retrowave uniforms, which blend the Marlins’ colorful past with a vision for the future.

“We won, so yeah—it was fun,” Stowers said. “The energy's just different when you're winning. We want to bring that kind of baseball here. Hopefully this is the start of something.”