Highly touted youngster Sixto Sanchez, flashing a fastball that reached 100 mph, earned the win in his major-league debut as the Miami Marlins defeated the Washington Nationals 5-3 Saturday night to earn a split in a doubleheader.
Both seven-innings games were played in Washington, D.C., although the Marlins were the designated home team in the second game, which was a makeup game from a previous postponement at Miami.
Sanchez, widely considered the Marlins' top prospect, gave up three runs on six hits over five innings with no walks and four strikeouts. He allowed two home runs, both on fastballs.
His stuff was impressive, reminding the Marlins why they sent star catcher J.T. Realmuto to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for Sanchez in February of 2019.
Nationals right-hander Wil Crowe, who also made his major-league debut, took the loss. The 25-year-old, who was a second-round pick out of South Carolina in 2017, gave up four runs on six hits over 3 2/3 innings with two walks and two strikeouts.
Marlins catcher Francisco Cervelli left the game after two innings because of a concussion and was placed on the seven-day concussion injured list after the game.
Washington opened the scoring in the third when Yan Gomes slugged a solo home run 410 feet to center, his second.
Miami took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third. After Jonathan Villar was thrown out on an attempted delayed steal, Matt Joyce walked, and Corey Dickerson drilled a 438-foot homer to the upper deck in right-center, his second.
The Marlins scored two runs in the fourth without hitting the ball out of the infield. They used four infield singles during a crazy inning in which they made four outs.
Miami's rally started with infield singles by Jorge Alfaro, Jon Berti and Villar. Magneuris Sierra then struck out but reached when the ball bounced away for a wild pitch, which allowed Alfaro to score from third. Lewis Brinson's RBI infield single capped the inning.
Washington cut its deficit to 4-3 in the fifth as Gomes singled, and Victor Robles clubbed a high fastball for a 385-foot home run to left, his second.
Berti's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth gave Miami a 5-3 lead.
Marlins closer Brandon Kintzler earned his fifth save by pitching a scoreless seventh inning.
-Field Level Media
Washington | Miami | |
Wil Crowe | Player | Sixto Sanchez |
Loss | W/L | Win |
3.2 | IP | 5.0 |
2 | Strikeouts | 4 |
6 | Hits | 6 |
4.91 | ERA | 5.40 |
Washington | Miami | |
Yan Gomes | Player | Jonathan Villar |
2 | Hits | 2 |
1 | RBI | 0 |
1 | HR | 0 |
5 | TB | 2 |
.667 | Avg | .500 |
Team | Hits | HR | TB | Avg | LOB | K | RBI | BB | SB | Errors |
Washington | 8 | 2 | 15 | .276 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
Miami | 8 | 1 | 11 | .308 | 19 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |