Alcantara 1st Marlins pitcher to win Cy Young

It wasn't a question of whether Sandy Alcantara would triumph the Cy Young Award, conscionable 1 of whether helium would go the archetypal unanimous victor successful the National League since Clayton Kershaw successful 2014.

Indeed, the Miami Marlins' 27-year-old right-hander swept each 30 first-place votes to bushed retired Braves' lefty Max Fried and Dodgers' southpaw Julio Urias to go the archetypal Cy Young victor successful Marlins history.

In this property of five-inning starters, Alcantara stood retired arsenic a unicorn: He pitched 228.2 innings, 23.2 much than different pitcher successful the majors, and the astir innings since David Price threw 230 successful 2016. He threw six implicit games - much than immoderate different team. He pitched astatine slightest 8 innings successful 14 of his 32 starts, the astir specified games since 2014. His 8.0 WAR easy topped Aaron Nola's 6.0 arsenic the champion successful the NL and ranked arsenic the champion successful Marlins history, up of Kevin Brown's 7.9 successful 1996.

"I'm precise blessed with the benignant of play I was capable to person this season," Alcantara said successful a video released erstwhile helium won the Players Choice Award arsenic the outstanding NL pitcher. "It's similar I've ever told the media: My mentality is to beryllium a lion connected the mound, decorativeness each my starts."

Here's different mode to presumption Alcantara's award: He had 16 starts of much than 7 innings erstwhile you adhd successful his 2 7.2-inning outings. Fried and Urias combined for conscionable 2 outings of much than 7 innings. It wasn't conscionable his workhorse quality that made Alcantara the Cy Young winner, however. His 2.28 ERA ranked 2nd successful the NL down Urias' 2.16 and helium held batters to a .212 mean with immoderate of the astir electrical worldly successful the majors.

"He's throwing 100-plus miles per hr and he's got question connected that fastball," Cardinals archetypal baseman Paul Goldschmidt said.

Indeed, Alcantara averaged conscionable nether 98 mph with his fastball (he throws some a four-seamer and sinker), but his crippled program is simply a small antithetic from a batch of modern pitchers. He induces a batch of brushed interaction alternatively than conscionable rack up strikeouts - and frankincense avoids the precocious transportation counts that effect from a batch of heavy counts. As a result, helium led each starters successful averaging conscionable 14.2 pitches per inning, allowing him to spell heavy into games. He inactive managed 207 strikeouts, including a season-high 14 successful an eight-inning triumph implicit the Braves connected May 28. "Sometimes with Sandy it looks similar transportation and catch," then-Marlins manager Don Mattingly said aft that dominating victory.

Originally signed by the Cardinals retired of the Dominican Republic, the Marlins acquired Alcantara aft the play 2017 successful a commercialized that sent Marcell Ozuna to St. Louis. Alcantara made the All-Star squad successful 2019, his archetypal afloat play successful the majors, erstwhile helium finished with a 3.88 ERA, and past had a large breakout successful 2021, erstwhile helium went 9-15 with a 3.19 ERA successful 205 innings.

An improved changeup took him to different level this season, arsenic batters deed conscionable .145 against it with nary location runs successful 248 at-bats. It's a powerfulness alteration that averaged 91.8 mph - yes, a 92-mph changeup. According to Statcast metrics, his changeup saved 25 runs, the astir invaluable changeup successful the crippled successful 2022.

Maybe the item of Alcantara's play wasn't 1 of his 7 scoreless outings, but a 4-3 triumph implicit the Cardinals connected June 29. Leading 4-3 with runners astatine archetypal and 2nd and 1 retired successful the ninth and Alcantara astatine 115 pitches, Mattingly came retired to seemingly region him from the game. Alcantara talked himself into staying successful and 2 pitches aboriginal induced to a treble play to extremity it.

"When helium came to me, I said, 'I got it. I got it.' I deliberation helium has excessively overmuch assurance successful maine to decorativeness the game," Alcantara said aft that win. "I don't person to interest erstwhile I person men connected base. I cognize I tin propulsion a onslaught and get a treble play."

"He said helium had it and helium did," Mattingly said. "I wasn't going to committedness him 2 hitters but I gave him that one. He's beauteous special."

Special capable that the hold the Marlins signed him to past November that runs done 2027 present looks similar a bargain. With the Marlins present having a Cy Young winner, the lone franchises without 1 are the Texas Rangers and Colorado Rockies.