Miami Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara looks like he’s back.
Back to his 2022 NL Cy Young award-winning form. Back to establishing himself as the franchise’s all-time leading pitcher, competing similarly to the way he did before undergoing Tommy John surgery the next year.
Alcantara worked his way back to the Marlins’ rotation last season, but struggled throughout much of the first half. Over his final 13 starts, however, he posted a 7-3 mark with a 3.33 earned-run average.
Last season’s ending foreshadowed his start in ‘26.
Is Sandy Alcantara regaining Cy Young form?
Alcantara executed a Greg Maddux-like, 93-pitch, complete-game shutout Wednesday. He blanked the Chicago White Sox, 10-0, and improved to 2-0 in two starts.
On Wednesday, he posted his fifth career complete-game shutout, tossing a three-hitter with seven strikeouts and zero walks. Selected to start his sixth Opening Day, Alcantara yielded zero earned runs on four hits to defeat the Colorado Rockies on Feb. 26.
In the final season of his contract, Alcantara remains 27 starts, 70 strikeouts and 143 innings pitched shy of posting franchise-bests in all three categories.
If the 30-year-old pending free agent remains healthy and is not moved at the trade deadline, Alcantara could break all three records this fall.
At 5-1 and led by a recovered Alcantara, the Marlins are playing like true NL East contenders.