WSH 1, MIA 4; Sandy continues his Cy Young Tour with another win

Sep 25, 2022 - 2:21 AM

Miami Marlins delivers a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the first inning of the game at loanDepot park on September 24, 2022 in Miami, Florida." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/f_hcXy12CNdTdsjDuL-aH-B21yg=/0x0:3000x1688/1920x1080/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71411423/1427022070.0.jpg" />

Miami, FL—The Miami Marlins went up against the Washington Nationals on Saturday looking to win the series. It was Sandy Alcantara v. Erick Fedde as LoanDepot Park celebrated World Baseball Classic Day in possibly Sandy’s final home start of 2022. With his Cy Young tour nearing its end, Sandy gave Marlins fans another great performance.

Prior to the game, there was a ceremony held in Section 29 unveiling the 2023 World Baseball Classic mural with WBC alum, J.P. Arencibia (USA), Nelson Cruz (Dominican Republic), and others. J.P. described this as a great moment and “that there is no better place to put every round of the World Baseball Classic other than in Miami, Florida.”

The Nationals offense got it going quickly as 1st baseman Joey Meneses hit a solo homer with two outs in the top of the 1st. He had commented to the media the day prior that Sandy was the pitcher that he has had the most trouble facing, but Meneses became the only Nats hitter to homer off of him this season. Nationals lead, 1-0.

Thankfully, the Marlins offense came right back and scored a run of their own. The rally began with a Brian Anderson single, Garrett Cooper walked, and then a JJ Bleday single drove in both Anderson and Cooper to not only tie the game but give the Fish the lead. Marlins up, 2-1.

The hottest hitter on the Marlins has been Bryan De La Cruz with a slash line of .317/.383/.585/.986 in the month of September and he stayed hot with a solo homer to dead center. Marlins extend their lead, 3-1.

The Marlins offense got it going again in the 6th inning with singles by DLC and Jacob Stallings, followed by Miguel Rojas hitting an RBI double. Marlins lead, 4-1.

This 4th run would mark the end of the night for Erick Fedde, who was once considered a “Marlins Killer.” He went winless in his matchups with the Fish this season, averaging barely 5 innings per start.

Final Line: 5.2 IP, 9 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR, 94 NP, 5.34 ERA

Sandy Alcantara’s night came to a close 3 innings later. He was throwing gas up to 101 MPH, helping him get his 6th double-digit strikeout game of the season. Sandy is only one strikeout away from 200 overall. Dominant as usual, he just gave the baseball writers one more reason to vote for him to win the National League Cy Young.

“It’s always hard because I don’t want to leave the game,” Sandy told the media postgame. He went on to mention that 99 pitches thrown “is nothing” and that he could have completed the game himself if manager Don Mattingly gave him the opportunity.

Final Line: 8.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11, SO, 1 HR, 99 NP, 2.32 ERA

After Sandy was removed, Dylan Floro closed it out in 1-2-3 fashion to give Miami the 4-1 victory. The Marlins have a 15-3 record against the Nationals this season.

For Sunday’s series finale, Edward Cabrera will be out on the mound to face off against former Marlin Aníbal Sánchez.