Sandy Alcantara officially took the throne as the Miami Marlins' all-time strikeout leader Tuesday night at loanDepot Park, logging strikeout number 1,002 to move past Ricky Nolasco as Miami beat the Texas Rangers 6-4. The right-hander worked 6 2/3 innings and punched out four in the milestone outing, walking off to a standing ovation from the home crowd. It was another landmark in a Marlins tenure that already includes a Cy Young Award and multiple All-Star appearances.
According to MLB.com, Alcantara entered the night with 998 strikeouts as a Marlin and needed four to pass Nolasco’s 1,001. He got the record with an 86 mph slider that froze Kyle Higashioka for strike three on his 105th pitch. As MLB.com notes, he left the mound to that roaring ovation and later said he was "very proud of myself," then celebrated the moment with his teammates in the clubhouse.
How He Did It
Alcantara’s climb to the top of the Marlins strikeout list has been powered by both stamina and a deep bag of pitches. The Miami Herald details how he has piled up at least 250 strikeouts with three different offerings: the changeup, four-seam fastball and cutter. This season’s 81 strikeouts break down roughly as 25 on the changeup, 16 on the sinker, 15 on the four-seam, nine on the slider, nine on the sweeper and seven on the cutter.
A Workhorse Edge
That kind of variety has paired nicely with old-school workload. Alcantara has made 186 starts and logged about 1,177 innings with the Marlins, numbers that have him creeping up on more of Nolasco’s franchise records. As MLB.com points out, he is roughly a dozen starts shy of Nolasco’s mark for starts and fewer than 50 innings from Nolasco's innings record, putting more milestones in play if he stays healthy.
What It Means For Miami
Beyond the box score, the performance reinforces Alcantara’s status in club history as the Marlins’ most durable frontline starter and their only Cy Young winner. ESPN chronicled his unanimous 2022 Cy Young campaign, and Tuesday’s strikeout record stands as another chapter in a still-young franchise legacy built around an innings-eating ace at the top of the rotation.
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