On Thursday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees’ catcher Gary Sanchez, who is among the slowest players in Major League Baseball, was sent home on a base hit. Predictably, he was out by a mile.
On Sunday, against the Detroit Tigers, Sanchez hit a hard grounder to shortstop, and the play resulted in an infield hit. However, Zack Short’s throw to first base was wide, and Sanchez turned toward second base, only to regret it and try to return to first base. He stumbled and was tagged before he could safely touch the base and the inning ended.
If they are going to put together run-scoring rallies like we all know they are capable of, the Yankees badly need to keep making costly outs in the basepaths. This past week, it was a killer.
“I tried to be aggressive on that play. It ended up being not a good decision,†Sánchez told MLB.com through an interpreter. “It’s something that happens. You understand it, and when you face it again, make a better decision.â€
The Yankees lead the majors with 26 outs on the bases
The Sanchez’s out at first was the 26th on the bases, a figure that comfortably leads all Major League baseball entering Monday’s action. The Chicago Cubs are a distant second with 21 outs on the basepaths.
“As frustrated as I am, I’m not going to let a bad weekend cloud what I know this team is capable of,†Yankees’ manager Boone said. “We need to clean some things up. Not only do we expect more, but we’re capable of more.â€
The Yankees are about to begin a key week to their aspirations, as they will host the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox, and both teams are ahead of the Bombers in the standings.
The Yankees don’t need to gift outs of any type, so when a miscue occurs on the basepaths, it’s especially frustrating.