New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone came to the defense of catcher Gary Sanchez in the wake of questions surrounding Sanchez's blocking abilities.
Boone told Marc Carig of The Athletic that Sanchez has made tremendous strides behind the dish in the second half of the season, while also noting that his prolific offensive potential makes him a must-start in every game of the postseason:
“The bottom line is his body of work in this postseason, and frankly down the stretch in the second half of the season defensively, has been excellent,” Boone said. “So that part has me feeling really good about him. And just knowing how talented of an offensive player he is, I always feel like he’s a pitch away or an at-bat away from really getting locked in and changing the course of a game.”
During the seventh inning of Game 3 of the ALCS, Sanchez failed to block a sinker from Yankees reliever Zack Britton, allowing Jose Altuve to score and giving the Astros a 3-0 lead.
In his defense, Sanchez was set up on the outer half of the plate, and Britton spiked the sinker low and in on Yuli Gurriel. Still, the mishap has opened up old wounds.
Sanchez was benched last season for an apparent lack of hustle during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays. The contest was highlighted by a play where Sanchez jogged after a ball that got away from him in the dirt, allowing a runner to score all the way from second base.
To make matters worse, Sanchez is just 2-for-21 at the plate during this postseason.
Follow Us
Subscribe