For the sixth time, Sandy Alcantara is the Marlins’ Opening Day starting pitcher
Sandy Alcantara, as expected, will be the first Miami Marlins pitcher to toe the rubber in the 2026 season.
The team announced Friday that Alcantara will be its Opening Day starting pitcher when it begins the season March 27 against the Colorado Rockies. First pitch from the game at loanDepot park is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.
“It couldn’t be more fitting, Opening Day, that this season starts with you on the mound at home,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough told Alcantara in a video posted to their social media channels. “It’s no secret. You get that ball Opening Day. You deserve it. So, Opening Day starter again. ... You’ve got it for us, big boy.”
Alcantara’s response: “Thank you, sir. I came in with a mentality to compete, like always, for a spot. No. 1, No. 2, whatever. Super excited about another opportunity to be on the mound for the Marlins, and I’m very happy.”
It’s a position that seems like a no-brainer for the Marlins. Alcantara, after all, has been their ace for years and won a Cy Young following a stellar 2022 season.
The main question was whether Alcantara would be on the Marlins’ roster to have this opportunity. Trade rumors have circulated around Alcantara since the start of last season when he returned from Tommy John surgery that wiped out his 2024 campaign. The Marlins put up a high asking price if they were to deal Alcantara. No suitors provided an offer Miami was interested in taking.
“I’m happy to stay in Miami,” Alcantara said ahead of spring training. “There were a lot of things in the media, but at the end of the day, I can’t control those decisions. The thing that I can control is just be out there and play baseball.”
It was a rough re-acclimation period for Alcantara last season. He struggled in the first half of the season, with his ERA hitting 7.22 through his first 18 starts. He never went longer than six innings. He gave up five or more runs eight times.
Alcantara found his form in the back half of the campaign, pitching to a 3.33 ERA with .218 batting average against in his final 13 starts. Eight of those 13 outings were quality starts, defined as pitching at least six innings while allowing no more than three earned runs.
“Last year was tough for me,” Alcantara said, “and at the same time was a test because of the way that I was pitching. I’m very happy to finish strong last year. This year, I just gotta forget everything happened last year, focus on this year and everything that I can control to be able to compete and win the game, be able to go deep in the game.”
Added McCullough: “We talked a lot about Sandy last year, and it was in some ways kind of a tale of two seasons. How he finished last year, over [his last] eight, 10, 12 starts, was really more indicative of what Sandy has been and what we believe 26 is going to look like.”
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