Barring any freak injuries, the Rays vs. Marlins 2021 regular season opener will feature starting pitchers Tyler Glasnow and Sandy Alcantara. Don Mattingly finally confirmed the Alcantara news on Thursday when speaking with the media.
This comes as no surprise—Alcantara also took the ball for the Fish on Opening Day in 2020 and impressed during the shortened season despite missing a chunk of it after testing positive for COVID-19.
Always highly regarded as a prospect, the Dominican right-hander has matured before our eyes. The control issues that plagued him in 2018 and the first half of 2019 have been addressed.