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

Major league-innings leader Sandy Alcantara secured his third save, while Heriberto Hernández and Griffin Conine each hit a home run as the Miami Marlins defeated the playoff-bound Atlanta Braves 5-3 in their final regular-season game. Alcantara worked through an error in the ninth inning to maintain his perfect record in three save chances.

The Marlins ace concluded the season with a 13-11 record and a 3.87 ERA over 33 starts and three relief appearances. The NL East champion Atlanta Braves, who will face Philadelphia in a best-of-three Wild Card Series starting Tuesday, finished the season with an 18-win improvement over their fourth-place finish last year. Miami improved their record by one win to 80-82, but this marks their third consecutive losing season and their 15th in 17 years.

Braves star Matt Olson and infielder Ozzie Albies played in every game this season, with Olson remaining gameless since joining the club in 2022. Miami's Otto López did not play, ending the season with a major league-best 191 hits. The Marlins finished 29th in home attendance with 1,221,018 fans. Miami chased Atlanta starter JR Ritchie (1-5) in a three-run sixth inning, with Esteury Ruiz driving in the run and Jared Serna contributing a two-run double.

After DaShawn Keirsey's RBI groundout and Mauricio Dubón's run-scoring single narrowed the gap in the seventh inning, Conine hit a 110.2 mph solo drive that cleared the upper deck seats. Michael Petersen (4-4) pitched 1 1/3 innings of relief, allowing one run and three hits over four and two-thirds innings. The probable pitchers for Tuesday's Game 1 of the Wild Card Series have not been announced.