Sunday, September 20

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SAN DIEGO – Following a game in Pittsburgh this past June, All-Star shortstop Otto Lopez joined the Marlins’ contingent in visiting the Clemente Museum. 

Lopez, who was born in the Dominican Republic and grew up in Montreal, Canada, was inspired while learning more about the late Roberto Clemente’s legacy. The Hall of Famer died at the age of 38 in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve 1972 trying to deliver supplies to victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua.

• VOTE NOW: 2026 Roberto Clemente Award presented by Capital One

“It's incredible how many things he did outside of baseball, and that's a man to follow,” Lopez said. 

The 27-year-old Lopez is turning his words into action, following in Clemente’s footsteps by being named the Marlins’ Roberto Clemente Award nominee.  

Every year, each Major League ballclub nominates a player who embodies Clemente by representing the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.  

Fans can vote for the overall MLB Roberto Clemente Award winner by going to www.mlbtogether.com/clementeaward through next Sunday. The fan result will count as one vote among those cast by a blue-ribbon panel. 

Lopez, who is also the club’s Heart and Hustle Award nominee, has been active in the community since growing roots in Miami.  

In 2025, Lopez participated in the Miami Marlins Foundation’s annual Baseball Fantasy Camp for Kids at loanDepot park, working directly with young athletes with physical and intellectual challenges. He helped lead baseball activities on the field and spent time connecting with participants and their families. When the camp returned this past June, so did Lopez.  

During the Miami Marlins Foundation’s 2025 back-to-school initiative, Lopez joined his wife, Marle, and their young daughter, Amelia, at Kensington Park Elementary School to distribute school supplies and Marlins tickets. The visit was part of a broader effort that equipped more than 10,000 elementary school students across Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties with resources for the new school year.  

“That's important just getting our daughter growing up in that environment of helping others,” Lopez said. “That's something that we want to teach her.”

The philanthropy also extends past organized team events. Marle has noticed fans of her husband at the ballpark and invited them to meet him following the game. Lopez has recorded well wishes for the Marlins’ Nike RBI teams before they competed in the MLB Nike RBI Regional Tournament, and even recorded a message of encouragement for a young boy named Otto as the child prepared for surgery.  

“It’s incredible to see how those kids are maintaining their faith,” Lopez said. “If they can do it, I just teach myself I can do it, too.”  

This past July, Lopez joined Javier Sanoja in visiting Global Empowerment Mission to help sort and pack critical supplies for communities in Venezuela affected by the earthquake as part of the organization’s broader relief effort.

“He's a great husband, he's a great dad, so I think in so many ways, Otto exemplifies what I believe our culture is, and we want it to continue to be through what he does on and off the field,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “We see the charitable works that him and Marle do. Otto's just someone that you can trust, and he's also coming into his own as a player.” 

• The Marlins unveiled their MLB Youth Academy in Hialeah. More >> 

• Pete Fairbanks will undergo surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. More >> 

• Single-A Jupiter captured its second Florida State League title. More >> 

• Miami was officially eliminated from postseason contention. More >> 

The Marlins haven’t been shy about trying unconventional things, from pitch calling in the dugout, to facing live batters during in-between-start bullpen sessions.  

In Wednesday’s win over the D-backs, Miami added another wrinkle to the mix: Ace Sandy Alcantara recorded his first career save just two days after throwing 101 pitches in a start. 

Could this tactic become commonplace in 2027?  

Alcantara wasn’t the first Marlins starter to appear out of the bullpen in between starts this season. Right-hander Janson Junk also did so on Aug. 26 in a victory over the Red Sox. Alcantara nearly appeared in relief on Sept. 6 during his typical in-between-starts bullpen day, but the Marlins extended their lead against the Cubs and didn’t require a save opportunity. 

“There's definitely a possibility where that could become somewhat of a regular occurrence,” McCullough said. “Are we asking Sandy or anyone else to pick up 10, 12 extra innings over the course of the year? Maybe not. But if that's five appearances more, five, six innings, and you get that from your rotation, you think about what that can do.  

“One, a game in May is just as important as a game in September, and if you're talking about what would be the best way to utilize your roster at a given time. I do see a world where -- do I say this becomes common for us -- I don't know, but I do think this is a world where you can potentially see this become more normal and not maybe just the rare exception.” 

On Wednesday, Alcantara needed 13 pitches for the save, aided by catcher Joe Mack’s game-ending caught stealing of pinch-runner Jordan Lawlar. 

Should this become more frequent of an occurrence, there are certain parameters that would need to be established. What is the bullpen’s availability? What was the starter’s workload his last time out? Is this a season-long strategy? How long of a leash would the pitcher be given before things get dicey? 

“That was going to go until the inning was over or they walked us off,” McCullough said. “… It's not, ‘Let Sandy throw 40 pitches in an inning.’ No, I'd have been getting really sweaty and nervous around like 30, but he's out there and there's a ton of adrenaline. If that game was still going, heck, you guys know it's hard enough to pull him out of a game that he starts.” 

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