Padres fans delighted as Gary Sanchez' batting form continues vs Rockies: "Biggest pickup of the year"
Anyone who questioned Gary Sanchez's abilities were proved wrong as the veteran catcher has been in impeccable touch since returning to the MLB as part of the San Diego Padres roster. He recently hit a 404 feet two-run dinger in San Diego's 9-6 win over the Colorado Rockies.
Gary Sanchez has been wandering around organizations this season. Initially, he signed with the San Francisco Giants before opting out of his contract. He then signed a minor-league contract with the Mets before they let him go for waivers to the Padres.
The 30-year-old went yard in the top of the second innings against Rockies starter Austin Gomber. On a 1-1 count and four-seam 90 mph fastball, Sanchez struck the ball into deep left field. The ball sailed into the stands and scored Fernando Tatis Jr. who had earned a walk at the start of the innings.
This was Sanchez's fifth home run of the season. The Padres maintained the lead for a comfortable win in the end. Fans were quite elated after the performance.
Once again he will be the biggest pickup of the year twitter.com/talkinbaseball…
this man is saving the franchise🗣️🗣️ twitter.com/padres/status/…
@Padres When Sanchez homer's we win! Keep the streak going!
@Padres Just make Gary a team captain already!
@Padres MY KING https://t.co/068URJXWSA
@Padres Gary Sanchez Rebirth in SD has been AWESOME
@TalkinBaseball_ THANK YOU METS
@TalkinBaseball_ Aare the Padres reviving careers ? 😅
Gary Sanchez is slowly turning into a valuable asset for the Padres
The Dominican professional has played in 10 games for the Padres since signing for the franchise. In his 34 at-bats, Sanchez has struck 10 hits with 11 RBIs including five home runs. This is somewhat of a revival for the catcher who has gone through a rough spell in the recent past.
Sanchez made a good start to his MLB career with the Yankees. He was selected to the All-Star team in 2017 and 2019 but went through spells of poor form. Sanchez was careless behind the plate and had plenty of strikeouts to his name. He was even booed by Yankees fans and dropped entirely by the team's management for the 2020 playoffs.
The Santo Domingo native was also benched for the Wild Card game in 2021. The Yankees eventually traded the 30-year-old catcher to the Minnesota Twins for the 2022 season. After one season with the club, he made his way toward free agency.