Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp Ride Four-Run Sixth Inning to 8-5 Victory

Two days out from Opening Day, the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp looked every bit like a defending champion. A four-run sixth inning turned a tight game into a comfortable 8-5 victory Tuesday at VyStar Ballpark, giving the club a sharp final tuneup before their 2026 International League season opens Friday against the Rochester Red Wings.

The burst in the sixth was the kind of inning that changes a game's complexion entirely. Jacksonville held a lead before the frame and used it as a launching pad, pushing to what would prove an insurmountable advantage by the time the opposition had answered back to 8-5.

The Jumbo Shrimp enter 2026 as the reigning Triple-A National Champions, a title they claimed last fall. Jacob Berry's two-run walk-off homer propelled Jacksonville to an 8-7 victory over the Las Vegas Aviators, sealing the club's first Triple-A National Championship. Berry is back in the lineup this season, giving the club a proven postseason performer to anchor the middle of the order from day one.

The pitching staff also arrives with significant star power. The Jumbo Shrimp rotation features two of MLB's top five left-handed pitching prospects in Thomas White and Robby Snelling, with White ranking as both the top Marlins prospect and the No. 1 left-handed pitching prospect in all of baseball. Snelling led all minor-league left-handed pitchers with 166 strikeouts last season and finished with a 2.51 ERA, ranking fifth among all minor league pitchers.

Behind the plate, Joe Mack, the Marlins' No. 5 prospect and MLB's No. 7 catching prospect, returns after slashing .257/.338/.475 in 113 games between Double-A and Triple-A, leading all Jacksonville hitters with 18 home runs and ranking second with 53 RBI.

The 2026 campaign begins Friday, March 27, at VyStar Ballpark against the Rochester Red Wings. For the first time in club history, Jacksonville will also compete against a Pacific Coast League team, hosting the Sugar Land Space Cowboys from March 31 through April 5. A roster this deep, with Tuesday's offensive showing still fresh, gives Jacksonville every reason to believe the championship defense is already underway.