Sandy Alcantara has spent 2026 reclaiming his place among baseball’s workhorses. His latest start put him alone atop another Miami Marlins leaderboard.
Alcantara threw seven scoreless innings Saturday in a 7-0 victory over the Los Angeles Angels, allowing three hits and one walk while matching his season high with eight strikeouts. The outing extended his scoreless streak to 20 innings and established a franchise record for innings pitched.
The 30-year-old passed Ricky Nolasco with his strikeout of Josh Lowe in the third inning. Alcantara entered the day needing seven outs to move ahead and received a standing ovation after the milestone appeared on the scoreboard.
Sandy Alcantara Claims Third Marlins Record
GettySandy Alcantara #22 of the Miami Marlins pitches against the Los Angeles Angels in the first inning of the game at loanDepot park on August 08, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The innings mark is Alcantara’s third franchise record this season. He became Miami’s career strikeout leader in June and its quality-start leader in July.
Alcantara finished Saturday with 1,230.2 innings as a Marlin. His 1,059 career strikeouts include 10 recorded for St. Louis before Miami acquired him in the December 2017 trade that sent Marcell Ozuna to the Cardinals.
His durability makes the innings record especially meaningful. Alcantara has logged the seventh-most innings in MLB since his Marlins debut in 2018, despite missing the entire 2024 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, MLB.com reported.
He threw 108 pitches against the Angels, one short of his season high. Center fielder Jakob Marsee protected the shutout twice, making a running catch with the bases loaded in the third and tracking a 392-foot drive to the warning track in the seventh.
Marlins Ace Extends Scoreless Streak to 20
GettySandy Alcantara #22 of the Miami Marlins reacts against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at loanDepot park on June 23, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Sam Navarro/Getty Images)
Alcantara has allowed 11 hits and four walks while striking out 18 across his last three starts. No opponent has scored during those 20 innings.
The surge lowered his ERA to 3.52. Alcantara is 13-6 with a 1.17 WHIP and 128 strikeouts through 163.2 innings, according to his official MLB statistics. He leads the majors in innings and quality starts.
The streak has arrived while Miami remains in the wild-card chase. Saturday’s victory stopped a four-game slide, and Sunday’s win lifted the Marlins above .500. Keeping Alcantara instead of moving him at the deadline preserved the rotation anchor they need for that pursuit.
Those results represent a significant recovery from 2025, his first season after elbow reconstruction. Alcantara posted a 5.36 ERA last year, although a 3.33 second-half mark foreshadowed his rebound.
Miami’s patience has been rewarded. The Marlins retained Alcantara through the trade deadline and hold a $21 million club option for 2027.
That option follows the five-year, $56 million extension Alcantara signed in 2021. He has since won the 2022 National League Cy Young Award and become the standard for longevity in a franchise known for trading stars.
Alcantara is three starts from tying Nolasco’s club record of 197. If his current schedule holds, another piece of Marlins history could arrive before August ends.
Marlins’ $56 Million Ace Sets Franchise Record in Scoreless Gem