MIAMI (AP) — Sandy Alcantara put last year's ups and downs behind him and got off to a strong start to this season.
The Marlins ace allowed four hits and one run in his franchise-leading sixth opening day start on Friday, leading Miami to a 2-1 home win over the Colorado Rockies.
Alcantara allowed just one baserunner through the first three innings and finished with five strikeouts and two walks.
“Great for me especially to win the first one,” he said. “We know this is a long season and it’s better when you start winning.”
It was just the type of start Alcantara needed after a difficult 2025. After missing the entire 2024 season following Tommy John surgery, Alcantara returned to the mound in last year's opener and finished the season 11-12 with a 5.36 ERA in 31 starts.
He was spectacular after the All-Star break following a stretch when he lost seven consecutive starts and went nearly two months between wins amid season-long trade speculation, which he said was difficult to navigate.
The Marlins ultimately decided not to move him, and the 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner and two-time All-Star went 7-3 with a 3.13 ERA over his last 12 starts.
Second-year manager Clayton McCullough said Friday he noticed a promising change in Alcantara's mentality during the spring.
“This is our second year with Sandy, and I think it was a more jovial Sandy at times," McCullough said. "I knew he had put a lot of things behind him. There was no more rehab talk. He was healthy. He had shown himself that he hung through some tough times and was able to execute again at such a high level the back half of the season. I think he was able this offseason to really just go and get himself strong.”
Alcantara, 30, is in his eighth major league season and is Miami's longest-tenured player. Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix predicted before the game that “vintage Sandy” would make a return to the mound this year.
At his best, Alcantara was one of the most durable pitchers in the league. He made history in 2022 as the first Marlins pitcher to win the Cy Young award. It was a unanimous vote after he pitched a league-high six complete games in 228 2/3 innings, also a league-best.
"Sandy is really important to this organization," Bendix said. “The things that he has accomplished here, what he means to the organization, we know that. I think he’s proud of that and we’re proud of that. I think this year could be maybe the best year yet for Sandy.”
Alcantara allowed just one baserunner Friday until the fourth inning, when Rockies left fielder Jake McCarthy hit a leadoff bunt single and stole second before being thrown out at home by right fielder Austin Slater on Hunter Goodman’s single. Jordan Beck hit an RBI single later in the inning.
“He was putting the ball where he wanted to," Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. "We came out aggressive. In that fourth inning, when we had him on the ropes a little bit, we took some pitches, got deeper in the count and made him work a little bit. But he ended up wiggling out. He’s really good."
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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