PHOENIX -- Marlins manager Clayton McCullough knew before the game.
Starter Ryan Gusto started to put the pieces together in the clubhouse when he saw the man put on his cleats in full uniform in the sixth inning.
The rest of us found out when he strode out of the bullpen to start the bottom of the ninth inning.
Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara, the Major League leader in innings pitched who just two days ago threw 101 pitches in the series opener, was coming on for his first career save opportunity with Miami protecting a one-run lead over Arizona.
It was a road game, so we can forgive the Diamondbacks' faithful for not registering the significance, but the Marlins' dugout was electric.
After two quick flyouts, a walk and a caught stealing, the 31-year-old in his ninth big league season had his first career save and the Marlins had a 4-3 win over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday night at Chase Field.
“The dude is an inspiration,” said Gusto, who watched it unfold from the trainers’ room long after his 4 1/3 innings were in the books. “He's a leader in this clubhouse. Everybody loves him, and I think that that was the best thing in the world for this team to watch him go out there and get the first save of his career.
“I was in the training room with the other pitchers that had thrown already in the game, and I can't even explain how fired up we were. Even to be watching him in that situation, I mean, one day of rest is insane, and we were loving every single second of it.”
Even with the series win against playoff-hopeful Arizona, Miami is still 7 1/2 games out of the National League Wild Card race with nine games to go, but the face of the Marlins franchise showed the fans and his teammates that there is absolutely no quit in South Florida.
“I've been here since 2018 and I’ve seen everything this organization has been through,” Alcantara said. “I want to die out there for my team. That's why I'm here. I want to compete. I want to win. So every time they give me this opportunity, I will take it.”
With career save No. 1, Alcantara became the fourth pitcher to record a save on a day he entered with at least a share of the MLB lead in innings pitched since saves became an official stat in 1969, joining Orel Hershiser (May 2, 1987), Phil Niekro (July 29, 1978) and Andy Messersmith (May 30, 1975).
The Marlins had prepared to potentially use Alcantara as a closer on Sept. 6 against the Cubs, but they pulled away and didn’t need the big right-hander that day.
With closer Pete Fairbanks and setup man Anthony Bender lost for the season and the bullpen having just covered eight innings the night before, Alcantara thought Wednesday was the perfect time to give it another shot. He told pitching coach Daniel Moskos pregame that he wanted the opportunity and McCullough gave the green light.
If the Marlins got to the ninth in a save situation, the game was Sandy’s.
“His willingness to do that, it shows our fans that watch our team that there's never going to be any quit in our group, and that guys are just willing to do whatever it takes to try to win games,” McCullough said. “And his first career save, it's pretty cool to watch. … I think, the ninth inning, that maybe my first game managing was the last time I felt like that.”
The postgame celebration continued in the clubhouse when Alcantara was given a rite of passage most often observed for a rookie’s first hit or a first win: the laundry cart ride into the shower where teammates douse you with beer and shaving cream and whatever else they can get their hands on.
The 6-foot-5 veteran, always stoic and reserved, let the boys have their moment and enjoyed the ride.
“He's even-keeled kind of always, but I think he understood what he did was really cool and significant and I think he knows how much it means to the team,” Gusto said. “Like everybody else loved it so much, so I think he was really proud of himself for that aspect of it as well.”
It may just be one save and one win in mid-September, but the story of this night will certainly have a place in the legacy of a Marlins great who has a pretty hearty resume already.
“He's creating his own legacy,” McCullough said. “He's doing things this year, the amount of milestones in our franchise's history that he's been able to surpass and make his own. He's going to have his own wing one day at loanDepot, and rightly so for what he's done. …
“It's pretty cool. He loves to finish games, too. So you know what? All right, if you like to finish games, well, here's the ninth inning for you.”