How do you turn 102.1 into 427?! Just ask Griffin Conine

SAN DIEGO – With the Marlins and Padres locked in a close game in Miami’s eventual 7-6 loss in 10 innings on Saturday night, Griffin Conine prepared inside the Petco Park cages for what was likely to come.

The left-handed-hitting Conine knew he wouldn’t enter to face southpaws Yuki Matsui or Adrian Morejon. Once San Diego right-hander Randy Vásquez had thrown, Conine figured his pinch-hit opportunity would likely come against two-time All-Star closer Mason Miller.

In order to prepare for the high-octane velocity, Conine moved closer to the hitting machine – which was cranked as hard as it could go – to minimize his reaction time and simulate what he’d likely see.

“The approach for that at-bat is literally, like, you don't have a choice but to be on the fastball,” Conine said. “You can't get in between. He throws the slider a good amount, but that's just, like, an all-or-nothing type guy. You’ve got to commit to it.”

With the Marlins trailing 6-5 with one out in the ninth, Conine pinch-hit for Graham Pauley and took an inside slider for a ball to open the at-bat. On the next pitch, he turned on Miller’s 102.1 mph four-seamer for the game-tying long ball that traveled a Statcast-projected 427 feet with a 110.8 mph exit velocity.

Conine admired its trip into the night sky, then looked back at the away dugout – and for good reason. According to Statcast, that was the fastest pitch taken deep by a Marlin under tracking (since 2008) and the 10th fastest for any Major Leaguer in that span.

“It's definitely cool,” Conine said. “You want to be able to do it against the best arms in the game. That's what we all train for. We want those at-bats in big spots, and to be able to come up big is why we play.”

Added Miller: “That’s one I obviously want back. Fantastic swing, and that’s the spot he’s looking to get one, and I gave him one and he capitalized.”

This wasn’t the first time the Marlins caught up to Miller’s triple-digit velocity. Kyle Stowers hit a walk-off grand slam against Miller, then with the A’s, on May 3, 2025. The 101.7 mph four-seamer that Stowers connected on held the club record for fastest pitch on a homer until Conine’s mammoth shot.

Conine’s momentary heroics continued a season-long trend, as he improved to 4-for-15 (.267) with three homers and eight RBIs as a pinch-hitter. Manager Clayton McCullough has admitted in the past that Conine is usually his go-to pinch-hit option.

“Griff has those kinds of capabilities, and he can hit a fastball,” McCullough said. “When you come off the bench like that, you have to be ready to go. Mason Miller is as tough as it gets. Taking that first-pitch slider and getting up in the count, he went into that at-bat very calm and got himself in a good spot, and was ready for a heater and put a fantastic swing on it.

“[Pinch-hitting] he's done with a lot of regularity. He's come off the bench quite a bit, so it's not a foreign feeling for him. I've seen him numerous instances this year just come off with a really solid plan in place and ready to go strike. And he has the kind of power to swing a game with one swing there.”

Added All-Star teammate Otto Lopez, who homered earlier in the game: “Big time. He didn't play today, but he was staying ready from the bench, and he was on that pitch – 102 [mph]. It was incredible to see that special swing. I don't think I'd ever hit the ball like that.”

Though the Marlins were eliminated from postseason contention in Friday’s series opener, they can play spoiler down the stretch. The Padres are trying to not only secure a National League Wild Card spot, but also seeding. The same goes for the Cubs, whom the Marlins will visit this upcoming week. The season will end at home against the postseason-bound Braves.

Saturday felt like a playoff atmosphere with 43,433 in attendance, and Conine delivered with the spotlight at its brightest.

“[Based on] how everyone approaches each game in this clubhouse, it doesn't feel like we're eliminated,” Conine said. “A win's a win. We still want to win all these games. The fact that it means something to the team we're playing, too, like how they're going to approach it, they're not giving anything away. They're going to bring Morejon in early. They're going to bring Miller in for a five-out save, and stuff like that. It's just competing and wanting to win and wanting big moments to happen.”