The Twins waited 591 days for Kenta Maeda's return from elbow surgery.
The righthander struck out nine batters — four consecutively, including the side in the fifth inning — with no walks before he left Tuesday's 1-0 loss to the Marlins abruptly in the sixth inning shaking out his right pitching arm.
Afterward, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli called Maeda "fine" and praised his command and crispness with his off-speed pitches.
"That's the Kenta we saw a bunch of in 2020, the guy that was second in the Cy Young [voting]," Baldelli told reporters in Miami. "Really an exceptional start. He's only, in my opinion, going to get better from here."
Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara threw a three-hitter for the Marlins in the first complete game in the majors this season. The one-run loss was the Twins' first after a 4-0 season start that only Tampa Bay matched in all of baseball.
It also was the first time they trailed in their first five games, from one out in the second inning on, until the Marlins turned a double play to end the game.
Maeda allowed only Marlins right fielder Avisail Garcia's 388-foot home run into the left-field bleachers in that second inning.
But that's all the Marlins needed because Alcantara stopped the Twins cold after they had scored 18 runs in their previous two games against Kansas City and Miami.
"Facing one of the best pitchers in baseball, it was a pretty classic pitchers' duel," Baldelli said. "When Kenta is pitching like that, we're going to have a chance to win a lot of games."
Alcantara had six complete games last season. The 6-5 righthander struck out five and allowed only three hits and four baserunners. The Twins played without injured outfielder Max Kepler, who hurt his knee in Monday's 11-1 victory over the Marlins, and monitored designated hitter/outfielder Byron Buxton by keeping him sidelined as well.
Maeda also allowed only three hits.
"I got really excited for the start, obviously there were some nerves building up," Maeda told reporters through his interpreter. "Most importantly, I was really happy to be on the mound [Tuesday]. The results were there, better than I expected. I was able to pitch to my strength and hopefully I can build off that."
After Marlins shortstop Jon Berti singled to left to start the sixth inning, Maeda shook his right arm before Baldelli, training staff members and teammates surrounded him.
They all huddled for some time before Maeda handed off the ball and walked off. Baldelli called Maeda "gassed in a lot of ways" from the pace of a game played in 1 hour, 57 minutes, thanks to the new pitch clock and other new rules.
That pace left little time — only about three minutes one time, in Baldelli's estimation — in the dugout between innings.
"Kenta's OK, Kenta's fine," Baldelli said. "He'll be ready to go next time … almost certainly."
Maeda said the same, calling himself "all OK" as well.
Reliever Emilio Pagán came on and pitched two scoreless innings, striking out two and walking one before Jovani Moran pitched the eighth.
It was all over in under two hours.
Baldelli was asked if he could remember his last game played under two hours.
"I don't think I've ever been a part of one," he said. "I think it's a first. I lost track of time a little bit out there. I didn't know it was a two-hour game, but it was one of the fastest I've seen."
The Star Tribune did not send the writer of this article to the game. This was written using a broadcast, interviews and other material.
