MIAMI — Miguel Vargas lives here. Literally.
The Chicago White Sox infielder, born in Havana, Cuba, calls Miami home. On Monday night at loanDepot park, with family and friends in the stands among a crowd of 6,515, he walked to the plate with the bases loaded in the fourth inning and hit a grand slam to left field.
Six RBIs. A career high. Chicago wins 9–4. Miami falls to 3–1.
Vargas defected from Cuba at 15, built a career across borders, and became a U.S. citizen in 2024. His father, Lázaro, won two Olympic gold medals with the Cuban national team in 1992 and 1996. On Monday, in the city he calls home, Miguel had the best night of his major league career — against the team that plays in his backyard.
“We’ve been doing a really good job, especially trusting the guy next to you, behind you, getting on base and doing the right things for winning baseball games,” Vargas said after the game. “I think we’re in the right spot right now.”
Paddack overwhelmed early
Chris Paddack lasted four innings and gave up eight runs on eight hits. The damage came fast and kept coming.
In the third, Everson Pereira doubled and scored on a Vargas single. Munetaka Murakami singled to put two on, and Austin Hays drove them both home with a three-run homer to right. Chicago led 4–0 before Miami could settle into the game.
The fourth inning was worse. Peters and Pereira singled to open. A sacrifice bunt moved them up. Luisangel Acuña was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Vargas stepped in and hit the first grand slam of his career to left field. Chicago led 8–0 after four innings and the game was effectively over.
Miami Marlins starting pitcher Chris Paddack aims a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox Monday, March 30, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
Paddack finished with a line that will take time to process: 4 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 79 pitches. His ERA sits at 18.00 after one start. The command issues that defined his 2025 — a 5.35 ERA, 31 home runs allowed in 158 innings — showed up immediately. He’ll need to find something different before his next turn.
Hicks keeps hitting
The only consistent bright spot for Miami on Monday was Liam Hicks, who continues to look like the best offensive investment the Marlins made this offseason.
In the fourth, with Xavier Edwards on base, Hicks hit a two-run homer to right — his second of the young season — to pull Miami within 8–2. He added an RBI single in the eighth to make it 9–4. Three RBI on the night, six through four games. The catcher is hitting the ball hard and the contact is holding up.
Miami Marlins Xavier Edwards (9) hits a double during the second inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox Monday, March 30, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
Beyond Hicks, the Marlins managed eight hits but could never find the inning. They stranded seven runners, went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position, and never seriously threatened against Davis Martin, who worked five solid innings with six strikeouts. Sean Newcomb fanned five more in 2⅔ innings of relief, and Jordan Hicks closed it out for his first save with Chicago.
Vargas, Acuña, and the international thread
This is the kind of game that doesn’t get written about properly in a box score recap.
Vargas was born in Havana and followed a path that runs through the modern international game — defection, development abroad, and eventual arrival in the major leagues. Now a Miami resident, he delivered the biggest performance of his career in the city he calls home.
Chicago White Sox Luisangel Acuna (0) celebrates after scoring in the sixth inning during a baseball game against the Miami Marlins Monday, March 30, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
Luisangel Acuña — younger brother of Ronald, Venezuelan-born, one of the more promising young players in the White Sox system — reached twice and stole two bases, scoring the ninth run of the night. Murakami, signed as a free agent by Chicago last December, went 1-for-5 but was part of the third-inning rally that broke the game open. Three players from three different countries. One very long night for the Marlins.
What it means going forward
Miami is 3–1 and still in control of its early-season momentum, but Monday exposed a vulnerability in the rotation. The concern isn’t the loss — it’s what comes behind it.
For one night, though, the story didn’t belong to the standings. It belonged to a player who left Cuba, built a career across borders, and returned home to Miami — where Miguel Vargas turned a regular-season game into something personal.
The series continues Tuesday night at loanDepot park, with Erick Fedde starting for Chicago against Janson Junk for Miami.
