(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
The Miami Marlins won the battle of Florida on Wednesday afternoon, beating the Tampa Bay Rays, 7-1, thanks to an inspired performance by Sandy Alcantara.
If you follow the Marlins, you probably know that Alcantara has been far from the pitcher who won the 2022 NL Cy Young award with a 2.28 ERA.
He came into the game on Wednesday with a mediocre 4.70 ERA.
Not even the pitcher himself knows what has gone wrong this year.
However, for a day, he looked like vintage Alcantara: he provided length, he was effective, and he looked downright dominant.
“Sandy Alcantara threw a complete game for Miami: 9 IP | 1 R | 5 H | 1 BB | 7 K,” FOX Sports: MLB tweeted.
Sandy Alcantara threw a complete game for Miami
9 IP | 1 R | 5 H | 1 BB | 7 K pic.twitter.com/CNKqKRBa1u
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) July 26, 2023
That’s the Alcantara we all know: a pitcher who can stay on the mound for seven, eight, or even nine innings and shut down even the elite teams in the league.
The Rays have sure been one of the best squads in baseball this season, and Alcantara made them look silly most of the afternoon.
You know Alcantara is in his best form when he racks up strikeouts and ground balls left and right.
He ended up getting 10 ground-ball outs and seven punchouts.
Oh, and he completed the nine frames with fewer than 100 pitches, at 97.
The stellar effort left his ERA at a much better 4.46.
He is still far from the form he showcased in 2022, but the ERA seems to be decreasing and that means great news for the Marlins and terrible news for the rest of the league.
The post Sandy Alcantara Got Back To His Elite Ways Wednesday appeared first on The Cold Wire.