Stunning Cody Bellinger catch is perfect exclamation point on Yankees home opener

The vast majority of the crowd that entered Yankee Stadium's gates on Friday was there for the pomp and circumstance. Win or lose against the Miami Marlins (strong preference for "win"), who doesn't want to be in the building for the Yankees home opener? Those who stuck around past Ben Rice's two-run double in the ninth, though, saw a whole lot more in an all-time strange top of the ninth inning.

It's hard to make a lasting mark in a frame where only three batters reached base in a six-run game, but the Yankees and Marlins linked up for a deeply odd ending in Ryan Yarbrough's season debut.

Asked to face back-to-back strong right-handed hitters in Xavier Edwards (switching sides) and Agustin Ramirez, Yarbrough allowed some loud contact to the first batter he faced, sending Bellinger back on the ball reminiscent of the way Aaron Judge was forced to chase Edwards' first inning home run to right.

This one slowed down and stayed in the ballpark, though, and Bellinger swallowed it up for the first out of the inning. At least, that's what we thought before the replay.

We should've known something was up from Bellinger's incredulous reaction alone. As it turns out, this was more complex than it seemed; he knocked the ball with his wrist instead of hauling it in with his glove, then caught it on its way down as he swiped his glove backwards.

This does not happen. Remember when Bellinger's return felt essential all offseason? Guess this is why.

Ryan Yarbrough's bizarre ninth inning blocked Cade Winquest from his Yankees debut

The fun didn't stop there. Yarbrough, fresh off clapping for Bellinger's accidental grace, swiped Ramirez with a pitch darting inside, then allowed him to walk to second base on defensive indifference. But, with a 3-2 pitch incoming to the scorching Liam Hicks, Ramirez missed Jose Caballero sneaking behind him and got picked off. Down six. With two outs to go. How? How does a person let that happen?

Never before has a runner wagging his finger and begging for a challenge to save him from embarrassment been so predictably wrong. He was out.

And so, if you were wondering what Cade Winquest would have to do to make his MLB debut and state his case to remain on the roster when Luis Gil returns (April 11), the answer is still wafting in the wind. Yarbrough didn't get in trouble, thanks to Bellinger and Ramirez. Brent Headrick buzzsawed the eighth inning, as did Jake Bird in the seventh. Those guys aren't going anywhere. Winquest is running out of chances as the clock ticks louder.

Maybe tomorrow. For today, all we've got is destiny, and the Yankees saved two things for the ninth inning that you may never see again - an acrobatic catch and an all-time foolhardy pickoff.