September 13, 2021 – Marlins 3, Nats 0

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/marlins-vs- nationals/2021/09/13/632518#game_state=final,lock_state=final,game_tab=wrap,game=632518

 

Weather: 86 degrees, clear

Wind: 3 mph, out to RF

Umpires: HP--O'Nora, 1B--Blakney, 2B--Culbreth, 3B--Merzel.

Time: 2:36

Attendance - 19,759

Seats: Section 127, Row U, Seats 6-7.  Narrow pie-shaped section on the first-base side of the lower level, just above and to the right of some of the prime (meaning really expensive) seats. Great view, only 7 seats in our row, although unfortunately there was no aisle on our side.

 

Trois étoiles:

#3 – Marlins RF Jesus Sanchez, who singled in the top of the first after Jazz Chisholm had walked and stolen second, driving in the only run Miami would wind up needing.

#2 – Light-hitting (.133 BA, .479 OPS) catcher Alex Jackson, whose two-run double in the top of the ninth provided the visitors with some welcome insurance.

#1 – Sandy Alcantara, who shut out the Nats for 8 innings after carrying a perfect game into the 6^th and a no-hitter into the 7^th.

 

Alcantara really was the story of this game. His toughest moment came on the final pitch of the 4^th, when Juan Soto took a full-count slider and lined it off Alcantara’s left knee at 111.5 mph. The Marlins’ manager, pitching coach, and trainer joined him on the mound when he came back to warm up for the next inning, but he continued to pitch with no apparent loss of effectiveness. Washington finally got a baserunner leading off the 6^th when Chisholm booted a Keibert Ruiz grounder, and Josh Bell broke up the no-hitter with two outs an inning later when he lined a single off the right-field wall. Still unfazed, Alcantara fanned Yadiel Hernandez to end the frame, and then retired the Nats on 6 pitches in the 8^th, with his final effort a 99.6 mph four-seamer.

 

Somewhat lost in Alcantara’s dominance was a solid if hectic pitching performance by Paolo Espino, who gave up at least one hit in each of the first five innings, but no runs after the first. Helping him out was Alcantara’s ineptness with the bat: he fanned in all three of his plate appearances, stranding the bases loaded in the top of the 4^th. Espino retired the side in the order in the 6^th, marking his longest major-league start. Sam Clay and Austin Voth also turned in 1-2-3 innings, but Patrick Murphy allowed hits to the first three batters he faced in the 9^th, sending many of the fans heading for the exits. Zim provided a bit of hope when he led off the bottom of the inning with a pinch-single off Dylan Floro, but Lane Thomas grounded into a DP and Alcides Escobar grounded out to end the game, leaving Soto waiting on deck and the home team deeper in the NL East basement.

 

Attendance-wise, the evening was somewhat of a success for the Nats, as many of the 19000+ (including a surprising number of kids on a school night) were presumably lured by the PenFed jacket giveaway. Since there were 25,000 jackets available, everyone presumably went home happy with the promotion, if not with the outcome of the game. At a brisk 2:36 – Alcantara likes to work fast – at least it wasn’t a particularly late evening.