The Miami Marlins It seems that this year they will not go to the Postseason, since they are in the last place of the East Division of the National League with a record of 33-44, 12.5 games behind the leader, New York Mets (40-33). You can’t see where the club led by Don Mattingly is, however, in the bullpen there is a rookie who has looked like a bossy veteran on the mound each and every time he has been required to relieve his teammates.
Is about Anthony Bender, who sells his pitches very well, to such an extent that he has marched with a 0.00 ERA since he debuted in the Major Leagues on May 5 against the Arizona D-backs. The 1.93-meter-tall right-hander already has almost two months in MLB and they still haven’t made him a clean run, but he has two dirtier than Judas Iscariot’s conscience:
The one born in Petaluma, California on February 3, 1995 (he is 26 years old) has thrown 21.1 innings in 21 relays, where he has only allowed 10 hits, five walks, but has struck out 23 enemies, who by the way hit him for a measly .145 over 316 pitches, featuring his 98 mph sinker and a devastating slider.
Anthony Wayne Bender (his full name) has finished three games, has beaten two carabinieri and has a wildpitch, this in 77 batters he has faced. His whip is at a rickety 0.70. Impressive is the average number of hits per nine innings pitched (4.2), as well as strikeouts (9.7) and walks (2.1).
The lanky right-hander Bender came to the Marlins on November 30, 2020 as a free agent. He had previously pitched for branches of the Kansas City Royals from 2016 to 2018, where he never even reached Double A. In 2019 he went to the Milwaukee Brewers, where he was in AA:
Mention that in 2019 and 2020 there was time to play in the Independent League. Already this year he debuted in the majors without even pitching in Triple A, since after the Marlins preseason he was sent to the alternate training site.
The merit is double for Bender, since five times he has relieved without a rest day, that is, in consecutive days and despite this his EAP is intact. His last relief was Saturday, July 26, against the Washington Nationals.
Now starting tomorrow he will have a tough test pitching in a batter-friendly stadium: Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies. For now, this rookie has been the workhorse and ace up the sleeve of Derek Jeter and company. If he continues like this, he is sure to get some votes for the 2021 National League Rookie of the Year award, where a favorite is his left-handed starting teammate Trevor Rogers.
It may interest you: Marlins pauses Sixto Sánchez pitching program again
His only blemish is that he wasted the only chance he ever had to save a game, even though the damage he admitted was undeserved.
.