MIAMI _ Sixto Sanchez was in trouble in the sixth inning. It hasn't happened often to the starting pitcher throughout his jaw-dropping rookie season, but it was the case with the Miami Marlins' clinging to a one-run lead in the sixth.
He had walked one batter and given up and infield single, and Bryce Harper was strutting to the plate with two outs and a chance to tie the game or put the Philadelphia Phillies ahead. Jorge Alfaro came to the mound to meet with Sanchez, Mel Stottlemyre Jr. went to check on his rookie, but Don Mattingly didn't ask for any help from his bullpen. No one was even warming up. He wanted Sanchez to go after the superstar outfielder.
"I knew he wanted to get the base hit," Sanchez said through an interpreter, "but I think got under him."
Sanchez didn't have his usual swing-and-miss stuff Sunday, so he instead lived in the bottom of the zone and he kept the game plan the same against Harper. He missed low once, got Harper to foul one back and whiff at another, and finally forced Harper to hit a hard groundball to the second baseman. Isan Diaz threw to first and the Sanchez won the battle. He came back out for the seventh inning a few minutes later and finished off the first complete game of his career. Miami opened a critical doubleheader at Marlins Park with a 2-1 win.
The Game 1 victory pulled Miami (22-21) within a half game of the Phillies (23-21) for second place in the National League East.
Nearly every one of Sanchez's five outings to start his MLB career have been impressive. This latest was perhaps his most impressive.
More than five and a half years ago, Sanchez was an unknown 16-year-old, who just happened to be throwing batting practice while Philadelphia was in the Dominican Republic to scout a catcher. The Phillies decided they liked him enough to take a flier on him, so they spent a whopping $35,000 in 2015 to sign the right-handed pitcher to a contract.
He spent four years rocketing through their system and then found his way to the Marlins as the centerpiece of a trade sending J.T. Realmuto to the Phillies in 2019.
"Since I got traded to the Marlins, I wanted to pitch against Philadelphia," Sanchez said. "There are some emotions there."
He got his wish in his fifth career start Sunday. Sanchez (3-1) stared down his former team for seven innings, allowing just one run on three hits and three walks to throw a seven-inning complete game. He's only the second player in franchise history to throw a complete game within the first five starts of his career.
While he only struck out four, the rookie held Philadelphia to one run by getting 10 groundouts, including a double play to end the fifth to keep the lead at 2-1 after he walked catcher Andrew Knapp and went behind in the count 3-0 to outfielder Adam Haseley.
Sanchez lowered his ERA to 1.69 with the win and only let three runners into scoring position.
The Phillies' only run came after their only extra-base hit. Third baseman Alec Bohm led off the second with a double, went to third base on a groundout by outfielder Phil Gosselin, then scored when Knapp lifted a sacrifice fly to center field. Sanchez made sure the leadoff hit didn't linger and spiral into a rally.
He also made sure the Marlins could win despite squandering most of its best rally. Middle infielder Jazz Chisholm and Alfaro led off the bottom of the third with back-to-back walks against Ramon Rosso, then Chisholm raced home on a single to right by Corey Dickerson. Alfaro scored next on a single by outfielder Starling Marte and slugging third baseman Brian Anderson drew a one-out walk to load the bases. Philadelphia pulled the plug on Rosso (0-1) and turned to its league-worst bullpen to try to keep its deficit at 2-1.
Miami's next two batters struck out and the Marlins left the bases loaded.
Miami didn't have anyone start to warm up until there was already one out in the seventh inning. The Marlins never doubted Sanchez could make their one-run lead stand.
