Sandy Alcantara and the Marlins relief corps are silencing opponents

Although the Miami Marlins missed the postseason last year, there were some good things to take away from the season. They were one of the better teams across MLB after the All-Star break, and that has now carried into the 2026 season. 

After trading away Edward Cabrera and Ryan Weathers, Miami still has an elite rotation. On top of that, the relievers have looked the part, helping get this team off to a great start. 

Take that and combine it with timely hitting and playing two teams who aren't expected to do much this season, and Miami sits atop the NL East with a 5-1 record. 

MORE: Recovered Marlins' Sandy Alcantara showing past Cy Young form, blanks White Sox, inches closer to franchise records

Sandy Alcantara and the Marlins relief corps are silencing opponents

You don't have to look too far back to see just how dominant this pitching staff has been. Alcantara is coming off one of his best performances of his career on Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox. 

He went the entire game, giving up zero runs on just three hits while striking out seven batters. He now has two complete games where he shut out the opposing team in under 100 pitches, commonly known as a Maddux. 

Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller could not be more impressed with how the staff has looked early into the new season. 

"[Alcantara] has gone 16 innings without allowing an earned run to start the season, including a 93-pitch, complete game shutout of the White Sox on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the bullpen has been virtually untouchable, posting a cumulative line of 17.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 24 K."

This is exactly how the team needed to come out and start the year; however, they will have a much bigger test this week when they take on the New York Yankees over the weekend, who have also gotten off to a solid start this season.

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