MIAMI -- On Opening Day at loanDepot park, something new unfolded behind the plate.
As will be the case throughout the three-game series between the Marlins and Rockies, both teams called pitches from inside the dugout for the first known time in Major League history, with pitching coaches relaying suggestions directly to catchers.
For Rockies pitching coach Alon Leichman and Marlins assistant pitching coach Rob Marcello, the moment carried added significance beyond the strategy itself.
“I just gave a big hug to Rob Marcello, who calls pitches on that side," Leichman said. "Him and I are really good friends, and we talked all the time for the past few years. So it's cool that we got to do that against each other."
Before they found themselves in opposite dugouts, Leichman often leaned on Marcello for guidance as he began exploring the responsibilities of calling pitches.
Their relationship dates back to their overlapping time with the Mariners organization, and continued with the Marlins organization last year, with Marcello calling pitches for Triple-A Jacksonville all season, and Leichman handling the role for the Marlins when they introduced the tactic over the final nine games.
“He would actually call me a bunch when he was going to call pitches and be like, ‘Hey, how stressful is it going to be, what is this like, what are the negatives about it?’ So we've always had a good relationship,” Marcello said.
One of the biggest lessons Marcello passed along involved handling conversations after the game, when emotions can run high for pitchers.
“We're really just offering a suggestion of what pitch is best for them. And it's like, they're gonna come out of the dugout and they're gonna be upset, and how you navigate them or calm them down to go back out and execute is the biggest thing I think you can do as a pitch caller,” Marcello said.
That trust continues to show up in pitchers with their pitch callers, even after being on opposite teams.
After Sandy Alcantara pitched seven innings with five strikeouts in the Marlins' 2-1 win over the Rockies, Leichman, who spent the past two seasons with Miami, was texting him before speaking with a reporter, asking him, “What the hell was that out there?”
That level of familiarity is a testament to how close their relationship is.
Even with Alcantara away for the World Baseball Classic with the Dominican Republic, Marcello said it took the entire spring to understand what works best for each pitcher.
“Just the relationship factor, I tell the guys, I want to become them when they’re on the mound,” Marcello said. “[With Alcantara] I missed some time, but he respects us and respects what we're doing, and his buy-in is key to our success. I think we saw it show up last night.”
On the other side, Leichman is working to build that same trust with a new group in Colorado.
Even Leichman emphasized how important it is for veteran players to help establish that same buy-in across the clubhouse.
“I went with everything that Alon called last night," Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland said. "We talked later about how I really couldn't find that groove, with being kind of erratic around the zone, but he did great. It was a 2-1 ballgame, and came [down] to two pitches that I didn't execute. I thought how he attacked that lineup from our game plan … was great."
From the dugout, the role requires projecting a calm and steady presence in high-pressure moments, even without the ball in hand.
“[I am] a big believer in body language over words, it's like, how do they feel when they look at me?" Marcello said. "If I'm a nervous wreck, it's not gonna be good. So I’m definitely like, all right, breathe. Breathe through this. And hey, the tensions are tight. It's [just] baseball."
Behind the plate, Agustín Ramírez said the adjustment has been minimal. While the signal now comes from the dugout, the responsibility remains shared.
“It's a new part of the game,” Ramírez, who started 71 games at catcher last season, said. “I think it's [what's] best for pitchers.”
Beyond the individual adjustments, the concept itself is beginning to spread.
With the Marlins introducing it last season under Leichman, the Rockies are now adopting the system in 2026.
“It’s just the way that we're going to go about things this year, and the way we think is going to lead our team to the most wins,” Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said. “Then obviously Alon [Leichman] is our pitching coach. He was [with the Marlins] last year and they were doing it. So a lot of good thoughts on it, a lot of good discussions, a lot of hard decisions regarding that. But at the end of the day, this is where we're gonna go.”
Other organizations are experimenting as well. The Mets have tested similar concepts in the Minor Leagues. How quickly it spreads across the Majors remains to be seen, but the foundation is familiar in a sport constantly searching for advantages.
“This is a copycat sport," Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix said. "When we do something and it works, other teams are going to look to do that too. We can't settle, we have to keep moving forward to find the new edge.”