MIAMI _ When Sandy Alcantara ascended the four steps of the third-base dugout at 6:33 p.m. on Friday night, he did so for a team he'd never played for in a stadium he'd never played in, carrying the hopes of a franchise begging for the future to arrive.
Alcantara is etched in as a large part of that future, the top pitching prospect in the system and the jewel right-handed pitcher acquired in a flurry of winter trades that wiped the roster and purged the Marlins outfield. With him rests the promise of a better next season, a better ownership and an end to a playoff drought that will hit 15 years this fall.
But during the Marlins 8-2 win over the Mets on Friday night, the distant future didn't matter _ not the process, nor the patience. Instead, for Alcantara and the 8,211 at Marlins Park, what mattered was the 22-year-old's first major-league start.
Alcantara was up. He was down. He straddled the line between sharp and wild across five innings in earning his first major league victory. Alcantara allowed just one run in the five innings, but he walked five Mets and allowed two more hits. New York had a baserunner in every inning against the right-hander, who was aided by a pickoff and a double play to escape innings.
He showed glimpses of the No. 2 Marlins prospect he was heralded as, touching 96.5 mph with his fastball and using his slider and changeup to strike out a pair of Mets.
Marlins manager Don Mattingly said that Alcantara has the tools to succeed, the repertoire is there to go with the talent. But Mattingly wanted expectations tempered for Alcantara, who still had to learn about sequencing pitches, holding runners and staying composed on the mound.
Despite allowing six different Mets to reach base against him, Alcantara allowed just one run.
As Alcantara tiptoed through trouble on the mound, the Marlins' future at the plate flexed his muscles. Just as Alcantara carried Marlins hopes among pitchers, Lewis Brinson did so for hitters. Brinson was the top prospect acquired in the winter, coming from Milwaukee as part of the Christian Yelich deal.
Brinson has largely struggled this season. Pockets of power have been sucked into a vacuum of inconsistency and strikeouts. Not Friday, though. Brinson boomed a solo homer in the third inning, then doubled in the sixth inning on his way to a 3-for-3 night.
The homer was his 10th of the season, tied with J.T. Realmuto for third most on the team despite entering the day with an on-base plus slugging percentage of .550.
Brinson's hits and Alcantara's outs showed Marlins fans what the future could hold, even if the flash was as brief as one night against the second-worst team in the National League. There was also shortstop JT Riddle's three-run home run in the third inning and Brian Anderson reaching base in the 25th of his last 26 games.
Alcantara was shipped to Miami in the trade that sent Marcell Ozuna to St. Louis. His acquisition helped rebuild a barren Marlins farm system, instantly becoming the team's best pitching prospect.
He debuted in the major leagues last season with St. Louis, but only appeared in relief for the Cardinals.
