Pete Fairbanks given rare start by Marlins to allow him to get home for child's birth

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NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Fairbanks was given a rare start by the Miami Marlins on Sunday to allow the closer to get home for the birth of his child.

Miami said Fairbanks’ wife was set to have labor induced on Monday morning and the team planned to put him on paternity leave.

Fairbanks threw a 27-pitch first inning against the Yankees, allowing Ben Rice's three-run homer that put New York ahead 3-1.

Left-hander Andrew Nardi relieved for the bottom of the second.

Around the scheduled 1:35 p.m. start time of a game that began after a 3-hour, 35-minute rain delay, the Marlins said Fairbanks was starting instead of Chris Paddack.

A 32-year-old right-hander, Fairbanks had last pitched on Tuesday. His previous start was on Sept. 21, 2020, when he pitched a 1 2/3 innings for Tampa Bay at the New York Mets.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB