It’s a split show as Sanchez, Higgy share catching duties
BUFFALO — A day after he committed two errors and struck out three times, Gary Sanchez was seemingly demoted. The catcher who came into the season as the clear starter behind the plate will now split even more time with backup Kyle Hiashioka going into the playoffs.
“Obviously performance matters and matchups matter and pairing guys matters,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said after announcing it on his weekly radio spot. “So, I think both, both will probably play an important role for us, if we’re to go deep in these playoffs.” Higashioka had already become ace Gerrit Cole’s personal catcher.
Thursday night, Boone paired him with lefty Jordan Montgomery in the Yankees 4-1 loss at Sahlen Field.
Still, when Higashioka’s spot came up in the eighth with the bases loaded, Boone did not hesitate to pull him for Sanchez, who was robbed of an extra-base hit by a tremendous Randal Grichuk catch. That’s a clear indication that at least Boone still trusts Sanchez’s bat more than Higashioka’s at this point.
But it’s clear the Yankees prefer Higashioka’s glove.
Tuesday was the fourth straight time that Boone has paired Higashioka with Cole. In those four starts, the righty has a 1.00 ERA. He has struck out 34 and allowed three home runs. With Sanchez behind the plate, Cole pitched to a 3.91 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 46 innings pitched over eight games. Opponents had a .265 batting average against and .776 OPS.
The entire Yankees pitching staff has an ERA of 4.61 with Sanchez behind the plate, compared to 3.77 with Higashioka, albeit in 25 fewer games.
Sanchez’s appeal had always been his power bat, which is why the Yankees went out this winter and hired Tanner Swanson to try and make him a better catcher. This year, however, Sanchez’s offense is hardly an argument to keep him in the lineup. He was benched to weeks ago to let him focus on his hitting. He showed some improvement after that, but has since gone back to struggling. Before Thursday night’s game, Sanchez was slashing .143/.241/.374 with 10 home runs and 24 RBI with 61 strikeouts in 147 at-bats.
Tuesday night, Sanchez extended his woes, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. He is currently on an 0-for-11 slide.
Higashioka helped himself with some pop during the Yankees 10-game winning streak. He had a three-home run game for four this season and 10 RBI. He’s slashing .273/.273/.568 in just 14 games.
“This guy’s an elite receiver, great hands behind the plate, a guy with power at the plate, that’s shown up a little bit obviously this year when he’s gotten the chance to play,” Boone said of Higashioka. “But also I feel like really grown in his presence and in his voice in our clubhouse …
He’s been up at different times of the year, and you’re seeing a guy that’s more and more confident and comfortable with who he is.” Boone said. ” And he’s performed really well for us here since he’s come back from the IL.”
FINISHING UP
J.A. Happ will start Friday night against the Marlins, the opening game of the final regular-season series at Yankee Stadium. That would line him up for a potential Game 3 in the Wild Card round of the playoffs if necessary.
Deivi Garcia will “probably” go Saturday, Boone said. That would mean the 21-yearold, who got shelled his last time out against the Red Sox, would be on short rest throughout the first round of the playoffs.
Boone would not name a Sunday starter, but a source confirmed a published report that Clarke Schmidt would start the regular season finale as an audition for the playoffs.
JUDGE RESTS, A LITTLE
After playing three games in a row, Aaron Judge was not in the starting lineup Thursday night, though he did pinch hit and play right field. Boone said the short rest was part of the plan of progression when he returned from his stint on the injured list with a strained right calf.
GLOBAL GLEYBER
The Special Olympics announced that Gleyber Torres and Willson Contreras were named as Special Olympics Global Ambassadors. They’re the first MLB players to get the distinction.