MIAMI – The first time right-hander Edward Cabrera dreamed of being in the majors was a decade ago, when he began playing in his hometown of Santiago, in the Dominican Republic. That dream came true Wednesday with his presentation by the Marlins to the Nationals.
The Dominican had a quality start in his highly anticipated debut, while Colombian catcher Jorge Alfaro hit the hit that decided the Peces’ victory in the 10th inning.
“I woke up quite confident,” Cabrera acknowledged after the meeting. “I was just thinking that I was here, it was time to see what the next step was and with God’s will things would work out. And so it happened. But the truth is, I thought about that dream a lot ”.
Cabrera was under control in six innings of 57 pitches (38 strikes) after setting the pace with a 97.7 mph four-seam fastball to start his career in the majors. Then, he capped off a perfect first inning with eight pitches – each for a strike. He didn’t concede any hits until the third inning and struck out his first 83.4-mph curveball against Riley Adams. On a day filled with so many memories, Cabrera said that moment will always be on his mind.
Despite his great start, Cabrera slightly lost his command and gave up three walks among the last eight batters he faced. He allowed back-to-back home runs by Josh Bell and Yadiel Hernández – with a pair of high changes in the strike zone – that quickly erased Miami’s 2-0 lead. Alfaro informed manager Don Mattingly, who replaced the right-hander after another walk to Carter Kieboom, that the pitches had no movement – which is a sign of fatigue.
The Marlins hope that Cabrera and his compatriot Sixto Sánchez – who have the same tattoo and consider themselves as brothers – will lead the team’s rotation and guide them into the contest in the near future.
Sánchez entered 2021 as the organization’s top prospect and was considered a strong candidate for the National League Rookie of the Year award. But he failed to pitch this season, after undergoing shoulder surgery in July.
For his part, Cabrera entered Spring Training with a swollen nerve in his right bicep and was out of action until June. Had it not been for a slight shoulder discomfort, he probably would have made the big team in 2020 as Sánchez.
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