No sleep, no problem for Alcantara in Classic tune-up

JUPITER, Fla. – Remember this viral Lady Gaga meme?

“No sleep. Bus. Club. ‘nother club. ‘nother club. Plane. Next place. No sleep.”

That’s Marlins ace and Dominican pitcher Sandy Alcantara’s last five days in a nutshell.

• Sunday: Leave Marlins big league camp and drive down to Miami for a workout at loanDepot park
• Monday: Fly to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from Miami for a workout
• Tuesday: Attend an exhibition against the Tigers with one of his sisters and some friends in the crowd
• Wednesday: Attend an exhibition against the Tigers, then fly back to Miami from Santo Domingo
• Thursday: Drive up to Jupiter in time for his Spring Training start

“Got here last night at midnight,” Alcantara said. “My [11-month-old] daughter was kicking me out of my bed. Just a little rest. Just came here, be out there and do my best.

“Aggressive and busy. Being in the D.R. was amazing. We had an amazing two games over there against Detroit. We won the first one. Incredible fans, a lot of kids. We were enjoying those moments. Now, it's time to work.”

The 30-year-old Alcantara, who is a member of the Dominican Republic club competing at the World Baseball Classic, tossed three perfect innings in Thursday afternoon’s Grapefruit League game against the Astros at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.

In his third start of the spring, Alcantara set down the first nine batters in Houston’s “A” lineup – outside of Jeremy Peña and Carlos Correa – in order on 43 pitches. He struck out four, including Jose Altuve and Isaac Paredes to end a 14-pitch battle in the first. He fanned another pair in the third to finish off an efficient outing.

“I think it's time for me to get ready,” Alcantara said. “I've been working so hard since the offseason. [The] first start of Spring Training wasn't good, but today was amazing. Thank God for the opportunity and keeping me healthy in the game. Everything feels good today. Sweeper was amazing, and [the] velo was good, and it's coming back.”

Added Marlins manager Clayton McCullough: "Sandy was great. It was nice to see Sandy again, being away for a few days. That was a really terrific three innings other than the Paredes at-bat in the first that really chewed up a lot of pitches. He was striking with everything. His breaking balls were good today, elevated a few four-seams. He was able to certainly get the three ups, get the pitch count to a good spot as well today. He was just really incredibly efficient and executed at a real high rate."

Thursday’s appearance served as a Classic tune-up for Alcantara, who will start Wednesday’s rival matchup against Venezuela to close out Pool D at loanDepot park. The game begins at 8 p.m. ET and will air on FS1.

It will be a shot at redemption for Alcantara after he gave up three runs over 3 2/3 innings in the Dominican Republic’s 5-1 loss to Venezuela to open action in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

In between Thursday’s Grapefruit League appearance and Wednesday’s Classic outing, Alcantara will rejoin the Dominican Republic in Miami ahead of Friday’s opener and get his in-between-start work there rather than in Jupiter. Close proximity is a luxury for Alcantara, the Marlins and the D.R. club.

"He’s good," said Altuve, who was on the Venezuelan squad that beat Alcantara last time. "He’s a Cy Young. Even last year when we faced him and he didn't have the season he wanted to, he was really good. We faced him in Miami and he was actually really good. Guys like him are going to be good for a long time. He's got the stuff, he's got the 98 [mph], he's got the good changeup, curveball, cutter, slider. He's tough to hit.

"We faced him last time in the WBC, but nothing’s guaranteed. Anything can happen. Obviously, he's really good, but we have some good hitters like [Ronald] Acuña [Jr.], [Jackson] Chourio, Maikel Garcia, [Wilyer] Abreu. We have a whole lineup full of great hitters. Hopefully we win, but we know he’s really good."

The Marlins will be well-represented at the Classic in Miami, with Alcantara and catcher Agustín Ramírez playing for the D.R. and NL Gold Glove-winning utility player Javier Sanoja suiting up for Venezuela.

“I’m going to take my family,” McCullough said. “I've never been to a World Baseball Classic game. I can remember the last time, a few years ago, watching it on TV, and the amount of excitement of some of those games. [I’m] very excited to be able to go down and watch that matchup and feel the energy, just kind of watching as a fan will be fun.”