MIAMI — Sandy Alcantara left the mound in the eighth inning Saturday against the Washington Nationals having thrown 99 pitches and just three outs away from his sixth complete game of the season.
The opportunity for that ninth inning never came.
But the start was the latest in Alcantara’s Cy Young Award-worthy season as he led the way for the Marlins’ 4-1 win over Washington at loanDepot park.
Alcantara’s final line: One earned run allowed on three hits, one walk and one hit by pitch with 11 strikeouts.
The lone run he allowed was a two-out solo home run to Nationals first baseman Joey Meneses in the first inning. After that? Alcantara allowed just two hits, one walk and one hit by pitch. He retired 13 of the final 14 batters he faced, including striking out the side in the eighth inning before retreating to the dugout for good.
On the season, Alcantara now has a 2.32 ERA over an MLB-leading 220 2/3 innings.
Dylan Floro earned the save with a perfect ninth inning.
The Marlins gave Alcantara run support via a JJ Bleday two-out, two-run single in the first, a Bryan De La Cruz home run in the fourth and a Miguel Rojas RBI double in the sixth.
