If we hadn’t yet run out of words to describe Gary Sanchez, Saturday’s performance ought to do it.
Sanchez continued his torrid pace with yet another home run, his 11th in 21 games, and once again flashed his cannon arm behind the plate to help the Yankees to a 13-5 win over the Orioles. The win moves the Yankees a mind-boggling 2.5 games out of the American League wild card, this a month after the team sold arguably its three best players at the trade deadline.
Yankee Stadium played like a bandbox all afternoon, with a total of six home runs between the two teams. Chris Davis was the first to strike, launching a moonshot to dead center off Yankee starter Chad Green in the third. The homer turned a 1-0 Yankee lead into a 2-1 deficit, and would not be the last time Davis was heard from. The Yankees would quickly rebound from the blow though, finding three runs in the bottom of the inning, highlighted by a double-steal in which Didi Gregorius scored the go-ahead run.
The fourth inning belonged to Sanchez. After gunning down Julio Borbon on a steal attempt in the top-half, Sanchez drilled a solo home run to the opposite field to make the Yankee lead 5-2. With just 90 plate appearances this year, Sanchez is the fastest player in history to 11 homers.
Baltimore would strike back an inning later, after back-to-back homers for Mark Trumbo and Davis helped chase Green from the game. Green’s afternoon was rocky, as he allowed seven hits and three homers in just four and 2/3 innings of work. The well ran dry for Baltimore after Green’s exit, however, as the bullpen managed to hold them to just one more run over the remaining four and 1/3 innings.
For the Yankees, the hits kept coming. Castro and Aaron Hicks hit a pair of two-run shots in the bottom of the fifth to break things open, and the hit parade continued in the sixth when the team tacked on three more.
The Play: Davis crushes a go-ahead shot to center (+.205 WPA)
It didn’t come from the winning side, but Davis’ first home run of the day helped erase an early Yankee lead and put Baltimore in the driver’s seat for a short time. The shot was the first of three that Green would surrender. There wasn’t much doubt about it, as it sailed well over the 408-foot marker in dead center.
Top Performers
Yankees: Starlin Castro (4 for 6, 1 HR, 3 R, 3 RBI)
Orioles: Chris Davis (2 for 3, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI)
Notes
-After nabbing Borbon in the fourth, Sanchez is now 6 for 9 on catching base-stealers this year. While his bat is rightfully grabbing all the headlines, his arm has been quite impressive as well.
-Every Yankee in the starting lineup notched a hit in the game. Castro led the way with four hits on the afternoon, but Hicks and Brian McCann picked up three apiece as well.
-Through two games in the series, the Yankees have outscored the Orioles 27-9.
The Quote
“If we keep playing like we’re playing and keep it all together, I think we have a chance.” -Starlin Castro on the Yankees being just 2.5 games out of the playoff picture
The Highlight: The Kraken can’t be contained
It’s gone beyond the point of absurdity. When Sanchez hit his 11th homer to the opposite field, he made baseball history by being the fastest player to that number. It is inevitable that he will eventually slow down, but he is appointment-viewing right now.
Up Next
The Yankees will go for the sweep Sunday against Baltimore, and depending on how the rest of the league shakes out, it’s possible they’ll be playing for a chance to be just a game and a half out in the AL wild card standings. CC Sabathia will be the man on the mound for New York. Sabathia has a 4.33 ERA in 23 starts so far in 2016. Opposing him will be Kevin Gausman, owner of a 3.92 ERA in 133 innings this year. Game time is 1:05 pm.
Lead photo: Andy Marlin / USA Today Sports
Good article