Although he struggled mightily during the regular season, New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez came up huge in game two of the Wild Card Series on Wednesday. He went 1-for-4 with three runs batted in, coming through in big spots.
After a leadoff walk from Brett Gardner in the sixth, Sanchez slugged a two-run home-run off the top of the wall in right field. It appeared as if he just missed it, but strong winds pushed the ball out and over the wall. That would put the Yankees up 8-6.
Also, with the Yankees hopes dwindling and down 9-8 in the ninth, Sanchez hit a game-tying sacrifice fly. DJ LeMahieu would follow Sanchez with a two-strike single to give the team the lead for good, leading to a Yankees series victory.
The Yankees are hoping that the performance from Sanchez can lead him to success throughout the rest of the postseason. With how much he’s struggled this season, it would be great for him and the team if he got going now.
Although he performed well on Wednesday, Sanchez won’t see his name crack the lineup in game one of the ALDS. Kyle Higashioka will be playing, catching Gerrit Cole. Higashioka has stood as Cole’s personal catcher, and they’ve been great together. Cole went seven strong innings in game one of the Wild Card Series with Higashioka catching, and Higgy even managed to pick up a hit.
Game one of the ALDS between the Yankees and Rays begins on Monday at 8:07pm ET at Petco Park in San Diego.