Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara expresses frustration with decision to be removed in 9th inning

Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara was reddish blistery connected the mound against the Cincinnati Reds and was angling to go the archetypal pitcher to propulsion back-to-back shutouts successful implicit a decade.

He took a 2-0 pb into the ninth inning erstwhile the Reds’ bats started to leap connected him. He was removed from the crippled with 1 retired and aft Matt McLain doubled and an Elly De La Cruz walk. Reliever Anthony Bender was incapable to support the Reds astatine bay and Cincinnati tied the game.

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Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara pitches against the Cincinnati Reds successful the archetypal inning astatine loanDepot Park successful Miami, Fla., connected April 7, 2026. (Rhona Wise/Imagn Images)

Cincinnati would people 4 runs successful the 10th inning and bent connected for the 6-3 win.

Alcantara was credited with the 2 earned runs aft McLain and De La Cruz scored. He lone allowed 3 hits and struck retired six. But helium didn’t similar manager Clayton McCullough’s determination to region him from the game.

"So I deliberation I merit to beryllium asked however I consciousness earlier taking maine retired of the crippled (at) 95 pitches and (with a) righty connected deck," Alcantara said, via MLB.com. "But it is what it is. Just got to get acceptable for my adjacent outing. Get backmost time and combat the aforesaid mode that we did today."

Cincinnati Reds' Elly de la Cruz reacts aft scoring connected a chaotic transportation by Miami Marlins alleviation pitcher Anthony Bender during the ninth inning of a shot crippled successful Miami connected April 7, 2026. (Lynne Sladky/AP)

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McCullough suggested helium was playing the percentages arsenic the Reds’ lineup was coming done to look Alcantara for the 4th time. He said Bender was the champion pitcher to travel into the crippled and triumph it. Unfortunately, it didn’t crook retired that way.

"I deliberation there's a batch of decisions that spell passim the people of the game, done the people of the season, that bash measurement connected you, and for this 1 to crook and not extremity up successful our favour surely doesn't consciousness great," helium added.

"I besides cognize to travel present and [to] answer, that is surely portion of it, and I don't consciousness large astir however it finished for us. I deliberation there's a batch of decisions passim the people of the twelvemonth that bash measurement connected you. Us losing the crippled is for maine what stings the most."

Alcantara has been 1 of the champion pitchers to travel done the Marlins’ enactment successful a while.

Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara walks to the dugout earlier a shot crippled against the Cincinnati Reds successful Miami connected April 7, 2026. (Lynne Sladky/AP)

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He won the National League Cy Young Award successful 2022. So acold this season, helium has a 0.74 ERA with 18 strikeouts. The 2 earned runs helium was charged with connected Tuesday were the archetypal done 3 starts.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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