The Miami Marlins built their 6-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium around Graham Pauley’s bat and a lead that held through the final three innings. Pauley went 2-for-4 with a home run, four RBI and two runs scored, driving in four of Miami’s six runs. The Marlins scored twice in the second, added a run in the fifth and broke the game open with three in the seventh before Kansas City answered late.

Kansas City did not go quietly. The Royals scored twice in the eighth and once in the ninth, with Carter Jensen going 2-for-4 with an RBI, Bobby Witt Jr. adding an RBI and Josh Rojas contributing two hits and a run. Their late offense narrowed the gap, but Miami’s three-run seventh had already established the decisive cushion. Tyler Phillips provided five innings of relief with four strikeouts, and Victor Vodnik followed with two innings and two strikeouts to protect the lead.

The result moves Miami to 70-69 and keeps the Marlins above .500, while Kansas City falls to 62-77. Miami’s formula was clear: generate separation before the late innings, then rely on Phillips and Vodnik to absorb the bulk of the pitching workload. Kansas City’s late scoring showed enough offensive resistance to remain competitive, but its inability to prevent the seventh-inning surge defined the loss.