MIAMI -- Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara¡¯s stoic nature is one of the many reasons he is considered one of baseball¡¯s best. He is unfazed by the moment whether it be the postseason, World Baseball Classic or All-Star Game.
After waiting 571 days to return from Tommy John surgery, Alcantara jogged onto the field ahead of his teammates on Thursday afternoon feeling grateful -- so much so he made ¡°Agradecido¡± his walkout song, per the recommendation of mentee Eury P¨¦rez.
¡°A little nervous, a lot of emotion out there,¡± Alcantara said following the Marlins¡¯ 5-4 walk-off win over the Pirates at loanDepot park. ¡°I was close to crying, but I'm hard to cry. But I feel good. Finally, I'm back on a big league mound. I feel very happy about myself and the journey and all the sacrifices that I made to be back and healthy.¡±
Through the first 4 2/3 innings it was vintage Alcantara as he dueled reigning National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes: Alcantara held the Pirates hitless and tied a career high with seven strikeouts on Opening Day.
One strike away from taking a no-no into the sixth, Alcantara instead gave up a single to Ke¡¯Bryan Hayes before issuing back-to-back walks. His outing ended with the next batter, when Bryan Reynolds hit a go-ahead two-run single. Alcantara threw 28 of his 91 pitches in the fifth.
Miami¡¯s bats bailed out Alcantara by erasing a three-run deficit and delivering the first Opening Day walk-off victory in franchise history. Kyle Stowers recorded the decisive hit, a single to right field against Pittsburgh closer David Bednar, to score Nick Fortes, who led off with a triple -- his first three-bagger since 2022.
¡°I thought he was phenomenal,¡± said Fortes, who caught Alcantara for the first time in his career. ¡°I think he just ran out of steam a little bit at the end. First start back with a lot of adrenaline, but cruising through those first 4 1/3 [innings]. I think he just kind of lost a little bit of steam there at the end. But he's gonna get his feet back under him. If he can keep pitching like that, he's going to be fine.¡±
The 29-year-old Alcantara didn¡¯t have his precise command, walking four over the course of his start. But he kicked it off in strong fashion, firing a 98.2 mph pitch up and in to Tommy Pham. By the end of the six-pitch at-bat, Alcantara struck Pham out looking on a full-count 99.4 mph four-seamer.
Alcantara retired the first six batters with ease before walking Endy Rodr¨ªguez to begin the third. It didn¡¯t matter, though, as Alcantara then struck out the side. He worked around another free pass in the fourth.
"That's elite stuff,¡± Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. ¡°I know we were getting no-hit through four or five, but to be as sharp as he was on Opening Day, especially coming off of an injury last year, that's what an ace looks like. That's what a No. 1 looks like."
The last time the baseball world got to watch Alcantara dominate was on Sept. 3, 2023, when he pitched eight innings in the midst of Miami¡¯s surprising postseason chase. But on his 94th and final pitch that fateful afternoon in Washington, he felt discomfort in his arm and landed on the injured list with an arm-related injury for the first time.
Following a setback during his rehab assignment, Alcantara was relegated to the dugout as the Marlins faced the Phillies in the NL Wild Card Series -- their first playoff appearance in a full-season in 20 years. He underwent Tommy John surgery two days later and missed the 2024 season.
¡°Sandy was great,¡± said Marlins manager Clayton McCullough, who picked up his first victory. ¡°You think about everything going into that outing for him, right? All offseason long, working to get back, everything he's doing -- so much hype leading up to this, all the adrenaline I'm sure he was feeling. Coming back on the Major League mound again, competing and it being Opening Day, he came out of the gates and he was terrific.
¡°Probably hit a wall there a little bit, saw some arm-side misses, probably a little uncharacteristic for him, but I think in all fairness to him: Sandy is human. There's a lot of emotions going into it. I thought, overall, his stuff was great again. As he gets out next time, gets some of the Opening Day adrenaline and hype wears off, he'll just go pitch.¡±