CAN’T KEEP KID
Gary blasts 10th homer as
The kids are all right for Joe Girardi these days, especially when you’re talking about the new Sanchize in town — rookie wunderkind Gary Sanchez.
The Bombers’ 23-year-old catcher is officially the toast of the Bronx and the Big Apple after slugging another home run — his 10th of the season – driving in four runs and scoring three times Friday night at the Stadium, part of an offensive binge that propelled the Yankees to a 14-4 win over division rival Baltimore.
With his fifth-inning, two-run home run off Baltimore reliever Vance Worley, Sanchez became the third player in major league history to hit 10 home runs in his first 22 career games.
“He seems to center every baseball he hits,” Girardi said of Sanchez. “He’s patient, he gets his pitch and he’s not missing it right now.”
Sanchez, who went 3-for-5 and is now batting .403, was a triple short of the cycle. After the game, he stood solemnly at his locker and gave soft answers in Spanish while downplaying his Ruth-ian exploits.
“Having fun is part of the game, and right now we’re going out there and giving 100%. Good things are working out for us,” said Sanchez through a translator. Sanchez added that he was surprising himself “a little bit,” but said it comes from the hard work he’s putting in prior to games.
“I’m trying to put a good swing on the ball. Good things have happened. When I’m running the bases, I actually don’t hear anything. There’s a lot of emotions within me,” said Sanchez.
It was probably tough for him not to hear the chants of “Ga-ry San-chez” from the 38,423 fans, especially after he whacked his tworun bomb off Worley into the left field stands with two outs in the fifth. His 31 hits through 22 career games are the second most by a Yankee since 1913. The leader? None other than the Yankee Clipper, Joe DiMaggio (38).
“It’s just a lot of fun to watch,” said Brett Gardner of his baby Bomber teammate. “He’s obviously a special player on both sides of the ball. He’s really