Sanchez starts 2021 with a bang
The Gary Sanchez redemption tour began in full swing on Opening Day.
The Yankees lost, 3-2 in 10 innings to the Blue Jays, but their much-maligned catcher, who was coming off a brutal 2020, started off on the right foot with his bat and his defense Thursday at Yankee Stadium.
Sanchez crushed a two-run home run in his first at-bat, added an in- field single and a walk and also gunned down a runner attempting to steal second as he began trying to put last season’s struggles behind him.
“It feels good to get going this way,” Sanchez said through an interpreter. “I spoke about consistency before and I think I had that today in all the at-bats. So that’s definitely something I want to keep on having throughout the other games as they come. Behind the plate as well, I thought it was a good game.” Sanchez’s home run came on a 91-mph fastball from Blue Jays starter Hyun Jin Ryu in the second inning, turning on it and driving it 407 feet to left field. It gave the Yankees a 2-1 lead.
Sanchez had also homered in his second game of spring training, after an offseason that drew praise from the Yankees for the work he put in both offensively and defensively. He cooled off as spring training went along but wasted no time getting off to an encouraging start in games that counted Thursday.
“At the plate, I thought he was excellent,” manager Aaron Boone said. “He was on time, recognizing the pitch. I really felt like [Wednesday] he had a good day’s work and a really good batting practice and carried that into today. All of his at-bats he was on time and obviously dangerous.”
In addition to throwing out Randal Grichuk at second base on an attempted steal, Sanchez seemed to work well with Gerrit Cole. That he was in the starting lineup Thursday was notable, catching Cole for the first time since Aug. 31 of last season, after which Kyle Higashioka took over as the ace’s personal catcher down the stretch.
“I thought we were good,” Cole said.
Sanchez said he was just building off the foundation he had laid in camp.
“It was definitely my best spring training behind the plate,” Sanchez added. “I want to find that consistency, keep that consistency going behind the plate as well. If I’m able to do that, execute that the way I did during spring training, I think it’s going to be a good year.”