Alcantara Questions Marlins' Ninth-Inning Removal in Loss to Reds

Miami Marlins pitcher Sandy Alcantara carried a 2-0 lead into the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds on April 7, 2026, at loanDepot Park before manager Clayton McCullough removed him with one out, a runner on second and another walking. Reliever Anthony Bender allowed those runners to score, tying the game, and Cincinnati added four runs in the 10th for a 6-3 victory. Alcantara, charged with two earned runs on three hits and six strikeouts in 95 pitches, expressed frustration over the decision.

"So I think I deserve to be asked how I feel before taking me out of the game (at) 95 pitches and (with a) righty on deck," Alcantara said, via MLB.com. "But it is what it is. Just got to get ready for my next outing. Get back tomorrow and fight the same way that we did today."

McCullough cited the Reds' lineup facing Alcantara for a fourth time and selected Bender as the best option to close it out. "I think there's a lot of decisions that go throughout the course of the game, through the course of the season, that do weigh on you, and for this one to turn and not end up in our favor certainly doesn't feel great," the manager said. The loss ended Alcantara's bid for back-to-back shutouts, the first by any pitcher in more than a decade.

Alcantara, the 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner, entered with a 0.74 ERA and 18 strikeouts over three starts this season. The two earned runs marked his first allowed.