It has been a season of swings and quite a few misses for Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara. That continued Friday night when he struck out his 200th batter of the season.

The Marlins right-hander became the first pitcher in team history to fan 200 batters in multiple seasons. Alcantara achieved the feat early in the game when he struck out Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning.

Alcantara has been one of the best pitchers in the National League this season. Going into Friday night's game in Milwaukee, Alcantara had pitched a Major League-high 220.2 innings while compiling a 2.32 earned-run average. He also had completed five games, a remarkable total in the current era that regularly sees strong pitching efforts defined by five- and six-inning outings.

Sandy Alcantara struck out 201 batters in 2021 and had an impressive 3.15 ERA, but he struggled when it came to leading his team to victories. The 6-5, 200-pound Alcantara had a 9-15 record last year.

The Dominican native is one of the National League favorites for the Cy Young Award, which would be the biggest honor of his career. His top competition for the award appears to be Julio Urias of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Max Fried of the Atlanta Braves,  Logan Webb of the San Francisco Giants, and Corbin Burnes of the Brewers.

Alcantara's consistency and overall performance are quite remarkable, considering the Marlins' fourth-place status in the National League East. While the Marlins sported a 65-91 record going into Friday night's game, Alcantara's presence has allowed the Marlins to play formidable baseball when he is on the mound.