‘I’ll never forget this day’: Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara receives key to City of Miami
Miami Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara has already received a slew of accolades during his brief MLB career, highlighted by his Cy Young Award last season.
But even he never imagined a day like Tuesday would come.
Alcantara received a key to the City of Miami from mayor Francis Suarez, who also announced Jan. 10 is Sandy Alcantara Day in the city.
“For me, being here today is such a great day,” Alcantara said. “I’ll never forget this day.”
Since being acquired by the Marlins from the St. Louis Cardinals ahead of the 2018 season, Alcantara has evolved from a quiet pitcher with high-end potential to the ace of the staff and one of the teams most respected presences in the clubhouse.
It all came together last season, when Alcantara became the first Marlins player to win a Cy Young Award — and be the first NL pitcher to win the award in unanimous fashion since the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw in 2014.
He led MLB in innings pitched (228 2/3) and complete games (six) and worked at least eight innings in 14 of his starts — the most by any MLB pitcher since 2014. Alcantara’s 2.28 ERA was the second-lowest in Marlins’ history (behind Kevin Brown’s 1.89 in 1996) and in the National League in 2022 (behind Julio Urias’ 2.16). He held opponents to two earned runs or fewer in 25 of his 32 starts.
“It’s been such a privilege for us at the Marlins and the front office as well as the fans to watch Sandy every fifth or sixth day, take that ball and know that kind of effort that he’s going to put forth,” Marlins general manager Kim Ng said. “And now he’s a tremendous leader in our clubhouse for our young players.”
While Suarez rattled off Alcantara’s on-field accolades before handing Sandy the key, he also noted the pitcher’s role and value to Miami off the diamond.
“His dedication has influenced hundreds, if not thousands, of people in our community and he has established himself as a positive leader and role model,” Suarez said. “He exemplifies determination, perseverance, a positive attitude. He’s got a great smile — and he’s already recruiting me to be a player of the team.”
(Suarez noted afterward he would be a second baseman.)
Alcantara, as he did when he signed a five-year contract extension last offseason, called Miami his “home.”
“I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing,” Alcantara said, “and keep living in Miami.”
As for the baseball side of things, Alcantara’s focus is already shifted to 2023 and trying to replicate his individual success while also helping the Marlins rebound from a 69-93 season. Spring training is about a month away, and Alcantara has already begun his pitching progression.
Alcantara said he was ready to compete again “two weeks after the [2022] season” ended.
“I have to keep being ready,” Alcantara said, “because you never know what’s going to happen. I have to be ready all the time.”
This story was originally published January 10, 2023 at 1:48 PM.
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