Alcantara Tosses First Complete Game of 2023 Season

The Miami Marlins game was over before some fans got back to their seats with concessions. Marlins ace and reigning Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara threw a complete game shutout Tuesday night in less than two hours. Alcantara pitched at a fast pace throughout and used the new pitch clock to his advantage.

Game Trends

This game had a singular run scored in what turned out to be a pitching duel.

The Twins entered this game on a 4-0 start to the season and one of two unbeaten teams left. The Marlins came into this one looking to avoid a 1-5 start and secure some momentum early in the season.

Marlins right fielder Avisail Garcia drove in the lone run for Miami on a solo homerun in the second inning.

https://twitter.com/Marlins/status/1643392154696310785

The other action in the game came from the elite pitching on display. Alcantara pitched a complete game shutout in the victory and showed exactly why he won the Cy Young in the 2022 season. Twins starting pitcher Kenta Maeda picked up the loss despite allowing just one run.

Behind the Numbers

The matchup was a defensive struggle with both teams combining for just six hits. Despite picking up the win, the Marlins struck out 12 times as a team. Miami will likely look to prioritize contact moving forward in order to continue winning.

Alcantara was unquestionably the star of this game. The Marlins ace threw nine scoreless innings on an efficient 100 pitches. He racked up five strikeouts with just one walk on three hits allowed as he picked up his first win of the 2023 season.

It's no surprise the first shutout of 2023 belongs to @sandyalcantar22! pic.twitter.com/nv4MTRp9AQ

— MLB (@MLB) April 5, 2023

Maeda had a respectable outing in his own right and played a large role in keeping the Twins in the game. He allowed one run with nine strikeouts in five innings of work. The Minnesota bullpen was able to keep the Marlins hitless for the final three innings in the loss.

The Pitch Clock Effect

This game marked the first sub-two-hour game of the 2023 regular season. The game ran for one hour and 57 minutes and placed the impact of the newly implemented pitch clock on full display. With both teams struggling on offense, the pitch clock served its purpose in speeding the game up.

The pitch clock has received mixed reviews among baseball fans to this point.

There are those who prefer the quicker pace and changes in strategy that come with it.

There are also those who feel that baseball is meant to take time and that the change in pace creates unfair disadvantages at times.

Manny Machado gets ejected after striking out on a pitch clock violation pic.twitter.com/w71D77ea4f

— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 4, 2023

On paper, the pitch clock has appeared to achieve its goals to this point. Games are moving an average of 31 minutes quicker than they did in 2022.

In addition, teams offensive numbers have improved in almost every statistical category and games have generally been more action packed.

The MLB has expressed the pitch clock, as well as the shift rule change, were put in place in order to achieve those two goals.

The first four days of the MLB season, by the numbers:

Games

2023: 50
2022: 49

Time of game

2023: 2:38
2022: 3:09

Batting

2023: .245/.323/.392
2022: .230/.308/.374

SB

2023: 70 of 84 (83.3%)
2022: 29 of 43 (67.4%)

Pitch clock violations

2023: 40 (0.8 per game)
2022: N/A

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 3, 2023

It is without question that the pitch clock has made a difference in games.

However, the jury still appears to be out among some fans on whether they like the changes or not.

Regardless of people’s feelings about it, the pitch clock seems like it is here to stay.