MIAMI (AP) — After Eury Pérez struck out his season-high seventh batter on Thursday, the 6-foot-8 Marlins right-hander pumped his fist and looked up at the stands at Miami's loanDepot Park.
It was another win for the Marlins — their ninth in 10 games — and the first victory of the season for Pérez after returning last month from Tommy John surgery that sidelined him all of 2024.
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Miami Marlins left fielder Kyle Stowers, left, right fielder Jesus Sanchez, center, and center fielder Derek Hill, center, celebrate after the Marlins defeated the Minnesota Twins in a baseball game, Thursday, July 3, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Miami Marlins' Agustin Ramirez runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Thursday, July 3, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Miami Marlins' Agustin Ramirez, left, celebrates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Thursday, July 3, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Miami Marlins right fielder Jesus Sanchez celebrates after the Marlins defeated the Minnesota Twins in a baseball game, Thursday, July 3, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Miami Marlins left fielder Kyle Stowers, left, right fielder Jesus Sanchez, center, and center fielder Derek Hill, center, celebrate after the Marlins defeated the Minnesota Twins in a baseball game, Thursday, July 3, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Miami Marlins starting pitcher Eury Perez walks to the dugout after pitching during the first inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Thursday, July 3, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Pérez allowed just one hit in six shutout innings against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, the longest start of his career and one of the most dominant. At just 22 years and 79 days old, Pérez is the youngest starter in the majors this season to complete at least six scoreless innings while allowing no more than one hit.
“One of the best outings of the year,” Pérez said through an interpreter. “That's what we've been working for. I can see the results. I feel very happy for the outcome. I feel great, healthy, and we will continue to keep working for more outings like that.”
Thursday’s 4-1 win gave the Marlins their fourth straight series victory going back to June 20. During that span, Miami won series at home against the Twins and Braves, as well as on the road against San Francisco and Arizona.
The Marlins also went on an eight-game winning streak for the first time since 2008 during that 12-game stretch. That winning streak was snapped in Wednesday's 2-1 loss to the Twins, but Miami's 10 wins overall during the frame were the most in the league.
“Very happy with the way we’ve been playing this recent stretch,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “And even going back before the winning streak ... our strike throwing as a whole has trended up, and that’s made a big difference. The at-bat quality, the plan guys are taking into the box, being able to string at-bats together. They’ve continued to get better and better in their belief in that. And finally, the defense that we’ve played as a whole for me has been a lot better, a lot cleaner."
This season was meant to be a continuation of Miami’s rebuild under President of Baseball Operations Peter Bendix, who replaced most pieces from year’s 100-loss team and hired McCullough to lead an overhauled roster of prospects and mostly unknown players.
What was supposed to be a year solely focused on finding which one of Miami’s young additions would be key pieces to build around has brought forth a gritty squad that has far exceeded expectations.
Miami is 39-46 entering a three-game series against Milwaukee, the final series of a six-game homestand. Entering Thursday night, the Marlins have the same record as the Braves for third place in the NL East.
McCullough indicated that the team's place in the standings isn't necessarily as important as continuing to string together quality wins.
“Where we are right now, record-wise, who's in front, behind,” he said, “less concerned with that, and just very pleased and proud of how we've played baseball. If we continue to play this brand, this style of clean baseball, then we're going to continue to win games.”
Miami has gotten key contributions all over its lineup, from outfielder Kyle Stowers and second baseman Xavier Edwards to rookie catcher/designated hitter Agustín Ramírez, who was one of the top prospects acquired when Miami traded star Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the New York Yankees last summer.
Stowers entered Thursday on a nine-game hitting streak and in the middle of his second 10-plus game on-base streak of the season.
Ramírez's impressive rookie season has included a six-game hitting streak last month and the MLB lead among rookies in extra-base hits (29). The 23-year-old hit a two-run homer in the first inning Thursday, giving him 13 on the season, which also leads all MLB rookies.
“I think since I got here, the team, we were doing things the right way," Ramírez said through an interpreter. "The coach is doing an excellent job. We were doing a great job as well. It's just the results were not there. ... But I think what's going on now is that we were steady with our plan and things are coming up the right way now.”
Ramírez added that there are some aspects of being underdogs that fuel this Marlins team. Miami has the lowest payroll in baseball and has lost 80-plus games in four of the past seven seasons.
“It does feel good that we are working really hard," he said. “We're trying our best. And now with these outcomes, we can show everybody the results of that.”
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Miami Marlins' Agustin Ramirez runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Thursday, July 3, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Miami Marlins' Agustin Ramirez, left, celebrates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Thursday, July 3, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Miami Marlins right fielder Jesus Sanchez celebrates after the Marlins defeated the Minnesota Twins in a baseball game, Thursday, July 3, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Miami Marlins left fielder Kyle Stowers, left, right fielder Jesus Sanchez, center, and center fielder Derek Hill, center, celebrate after the Marlins defeated the Minnesota Twins in a baseball game, Thursday, July 3, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Miami Marlins starting pitcher Eury Perez walks to the dugout after pitching during the first inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Thursday, July 3, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Thousands of people marched in Minneapolis Saturday to protest the fatal shooting of a woman by a federal immigration officer there and the shooting of two protesters in Portland, Oregon, as Minnesota leaders urged demonstrators to remain peaceful.
The Minneapolis gathering was one of hundreds of protests planned in towns and cities across the country over the weekend. It came in a city on edge since the killing of Renee Good on Wednesday by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
“We’re all living in fear right now,” said Meghan Moore, a mother of two from Minneapolis who joined the protest Saturday. “ICE is creating an environment where nobody feels safe and that’s unacceptable.”
On Friday night, a protest outside a Minneapolis hotel that attracted about 1,000 people turned violent as demonstrators threw ice, snow and rocks at officers, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Saturday. One officer suffered minor injuries after being struck with a piece of ice, O’Hara said. Twenty-nine people were cited and released, he said.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey stressed that while most protests have been peaceful, those who cause damage to property or put others in danger will be arrested. He faulted “agitators that are trying to rile up large crowds.”
“This is what Donald Trump wants,” Frey said of the president who has demanded massive immigration enforcement efforts in several U.S. cities. “He wants us to take the bait.”
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz echoed the call for peace.
“Trump sent thousands of armed federal officers into our state, and it took just one day for them to kill someone,” Walz posted on social media. “Now he wants nothing more than to see chaos distract from that horrific action. Don’t give him what he wants.”
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says its deployment of immigration officers in the Twin Cities is its biggest ever immigration enforcement operation. Trump's administration has said both shootings were acts of self-defense against drivers who “weaponized” their vehicles to attack officers.
Connor Maloney said he was attending the Minneapolis protest to support his community and because he's frustrated with the immigration crackdown.
“Almost daily I see them harassing people,” he said. “It’s just sickening that it’s happening in our community around us.”
Steven Eubanks, 51, said he felt compelled to attend a protest in Durham, North Carolina, on Saturday because of the “horrifying” killing of Good in Minneapolis.
“We can’t allow it,” Eubanks said. “We have to stand up.”
Indivisible, a social movement organization that formed to resist the Trump administration, said hundreds of protests were scheduled in Texas, Kansas, New Mexico, Ohio, Florida and other states.
In Minneapolis, a coalition of migrant rights groups organized the demonstration that began in a park about half a mile from the residential neighborhood where the 37-year-old Good was shot on Wednesday. Marchers carried signs calling for ICE to leave and voiced support for Good and immigrants.
A couple of miles away, just as the demonstration began, an Associated Press photographer witnessed heavily armed officers — at least one in Border Patrol uniform — approach a person who had been following them. Two of the agents had long guns out when they ordered the person to stop following them, telling him it was his “first and final warning.”
The agents eventually drove onto the interstate without detaining the driver.
Protests held in the neighborhood have been largely peaceful, in contrast to the violence that hit Minneapolis in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in 2020. Near the airport, some confrontations erupted on Thursday and Friday between smaller groups of protesters and officers guarding the federal building used as a base for the Twin Cities crackdown.
O’Hara said city police officers have responded to calls about cars abandoned because their drivers have been apprehended by immigration enforcement. In one case, the car was left in park and in another case a dog was left in the vehicle.
He said immigration enforcement activities are happening “all over the city” and that 911 callers have been alerting authorities to ICE activity, arrests and abandoned vehicles.
The Trump administration has deployed thousands of federal officers to Minnesota under a sweeping new crackdown tied in part to allegations of fraud involving Somali residents. More than 2,000 officers were taking part.
Some officers moved in after abruptly pulling out of Louisiana, where they were part of another operation that started last month and was expected to last until February.
Three congresswomen from Minnesota attempted to tour the ICE facility in the Minneapolis federal building on Saturday morning and were initially allowed to enter but then told they had to leave about 10 minutes later.
U.S, Reps. Ilhan Omar, Kelly Morrison and Angie Craig accused ICE agents of obstructing members of Congress from fulfilling their duty to oversee operations there.
“They do not care that they are violating federal law,” Craig said after being turned away.
A federal judge last month temporarily blocked the Trump administration from enforcing policies that limit congressional visits to immigration facilities. The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by 12 members of Congress who sued in Washington, D.C. to challenge ICE’s amended visitor policies after they were denied entry to detention facilities.
Associated Press writers Allen Breed in Durham, North Carolina, and Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, contributed.
People place flowers for a memorial at the site where Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent in Minneapolis, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)
Protesters gather during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier in the week, Friday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)
Protesters gather during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier in the week, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Demonstrators protest outside the White House in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Demonstrators march outside the White House in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Demonstrators march outside the White House in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Rep. Kelly Morrison D-Minn., center, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., second from the right, and Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., far right, at the Bishop Whipple Federal Building, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey holds a news conference as Police Chief Brian O'Hara listens, on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)
Protesters gather during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier in the week, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
Federal agents stand outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building as protesters gather in Minneapolis, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
Federal agents stand outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building as protesters gather in Minneapolis, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
Protesters gather during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier in the week, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
Federal agents look on as protesters gather during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier in the week, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
A woman holds a sign for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis earlier in the week, as people gather outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Two people sit in the street with their hands up in front of Minnesota State Patrol during a protest and noise demonstration calling for an end to federal immigration enforcement operations in the city, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Minnesota State Patrol officers are seen during a protest and noise demonstration calling for an end to federal immigration enforcement operations in the city, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Minnesota State Patrol officers are seen during a protest and noise demonstration calling for an end to federal immigration enforcement operations in the city, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Two people sit in the street holding hands in front of Minnesota State Patrol during a protest and noise demonstration calling for an end to federal immigration enforcement operations in the city, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)
