Miami Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara is stepping onto the mound for the first time in nearly two years. And the pitcher looks like he hasn’t lost a step.
Alcantara threw a smoking-hot 99.3 miles per hour pitch in his first start since 2023. The Marlins hurler made the start for the team Sunday in a spring game against the New York Mets.
“I say ‘Thanks God’ for giving me the opportunity to be out there and compete and be healthy,” Alcantara said, per MLB.com. “It feels great after a long time without competing. So everything feels great today. Little nervous, but after that first pitch, I forget about everything.”
Alcantara has frequently used his powerful arm in the past to strike out batters with ease. But in 2023, the pitcher got injured and required Tommy John surgery. He’s not been able to go since, until Sunday.
“I know that the hard work that I was doing in the offseason, during my rehab, today, my arm feels so good, and I’m just trying to let it go,” Alcantara added. “I was good throwing where I want to throw it, just missed a couple times, trying to be too perfect. But after that, just trying to throw in the middle and let those guys swing.”
Marlins fans have to be cautiously optimistic about the health of their star pitcher.
Marlins looking to become a contender again in the National League
The Marlins have struggled in the last few years. Miami dealt several players ahead of the 2024 Major League Baseball trade deadline, including Jazz Chisholm. Chisholm left for the New York Yankees.
Alcantara’s injury made the 2024 season even more miserable for Marlins fans. Miami finished the year with a frustrating 62-100 record.
The franchise is deeply hopeful to have Alcantara return to form in 2025. The 29-year-old pitcher ideally has plenty of solid seasons left in him. Alcantara won the NL Cy Young award in 2022.
Alcantara’s return to the mound on Sunday was welcomed by many. Several Marlins players traveled to see him pitch, even though they weren’t required to.
“[It] just shows how much he means to a lot of the guys in our clubhouse,” Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. “It’s a credit to him [for] guys to come up here, just to watch that, knowing how big a deal it was for him and us. So that was really cool.”
Time will tell if Alcantara can keep throwing heat.
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