PHILADELPHIA -- Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara cruised into the eighth inning of Wednesday night’s game against the Phillies poised to become the first Major League pitcher in five years to toss consecutive nine-inning complete games. Instead, he made MLB history as the first starting pitcher to allow six singles in an inning in the eighth or later since the beginning of inning-by-inning data in 1974.

Alcantara was only at 77 pitches when a slow roller down the third-base line started a wild rally. Even though it brought the tying run to the plate, he had permitted multiple runners to reach base just once in the same inning all game. But Alcantara was chased after surrendering three runs on six hits in the fateful frame of a 4-3 loss at Citizens Bank Park.

“I was doing a pretty good job as soon as the first inning,” said Alcantara, who gave up four runs or more for just the fourth time this season. “Inning by inning, I was going to the mound, attacking hitters, throwing my best stuff. I don't know what happened there. I'll have to see it in my locker tomorrow, watching video and see what happened.”

Jean Segura led off the eighth with the fortuitous dribbler and Bryson Stott followed with a single. Catcher Jacob Stallings went to chat with Alcantara before Brandon Marsh, who was unable to get a sacrifice bunt down on the first two offerings, wound up driving home a run with a single up the middle.

Following another mound visit with pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre Jr., Kyle Schwarber recorded the game-tying RBI single.

The four consecutive hits came within a span of 12 pitches.

“It was a little shocking,” manager Don Mattingly said. “Everything really pretty much smooth sailing all day. Looked like he was easy velo today. We didn't see anything forced, kind of cruising right through there, pitch count in a good spot. All of a sudden, that little roller [went] down the line, and the floodgates opened.”

The 26-year-old Alcantara had a chance of sending the game to the ninth tied at 3 following a double-play lineout, as the crowd of 23,021 did its best to recreate a playoff atmosphere in the thick of the National League Wild Card hunt. Alec Bohm singled to place runners on the corners, and J.T. Realmuto pulled a hanging slider through the hole at short for the decisive run. He had been hitless in his previous three at-bats.

“You see what he does for those first seven innings -- it’s not easy to go deep into games,” said Schwarber, who went 3-for-4. “I’m sure the atmosphere got to him, too -- people were on their feet, people were loud, cheering. Once all those things kind of come to one, it can be a little rattling.”

Just like that, Alcantara was done after 91 pitches. He had entered the inning having given up just two hits -- both to Schwarber, who broke up a perfect game with a leadoff infield single in the fourth and produced an RBI double in the sixth. The last pitcher to give up six or more hits in an inning in the eighth or later was Randy Wolf (June 30, 2000).

“It obviously started with the swinging bunt, which was unlucky, and they just started hitting it where we weren't,” said Stallings, who has caught all 23 of Alcantara’s starts this season. “There were a couple executed pitches I thought they hit and then maybe a couple not. But the first seven innings were as good as I've seen him all year, so I'm not sure what happened in the eighth, to be honest.”

A strong candidate for the NL Cy Young Award, Alcantara last pitched a week ago, when he recorded his third career shutout against the Reds. Miami used two off-days on the schedule to its advantage for MLB’s innings leader (166). Alcantara looked sharp from the get-go, at one point throwing 19 consecutive strikes. Outside of the eighth, his lone blemish was a 19-pitch sixth.

Despite the implosion, Alcantara still ranks among the NL leaders in the following categories:
2.01 ERA (first)
0.95 WHIP (second)
.198 opponent average (second)
145 strikeouts (fourth)

“We’re facing one of the best guys on the planet tonight, and he had us down early,” Realmuto said of his former batterymate. “He pitched really well for seven innings, and we just kind of kept with it, kept grinding our at-bats out, and that’s what this team’s going to do.”