BOSTON _ Saturday night is exactly why the Yankees have stuck by Gary Sanchez through this terrible sophomore season. The catcher has struggled behind the plate and unlike last year, he wasn't been able to make up it with the bat _ until Saturday night.
Sanchez hit his first and second home runs of the postseason as the Yankees rallied to grab Game 2 of the American League Division Series, beating the Red Sox, 6-2, at Fenway Park.
The best-of-five games series is now tied 1-1 and heads back to the Bronx for Game 3 on Monday night.
Aaron Judge homered in his third straight playoff game with a first-inning shot over the Green Monster off David Price. Andrew McCutchen slapped an RBI single off the Red Sox lefty, who was chased after just 12/3 innings, having allowed three runs. Price remains winless in 10 postseason starts and in five starts against the Yankees this season, he is 0-3 with a 10.90 ERA. He has allowed 11 homers over 171/3 innings pitched.
Sanchez became the second catcher in Yankee history to have a multi-home run playoff game, joining Hall of Famer Yogi Berra. It was the Yankees' first multi-home run game in the playoffs since Didi Gregorius hit two in Game 5 of the 2017 ALDS. This was Sanchez's first multi-homer game since May 19 at Kansas City.
His first home run of the night led off the second inning and it came off of Price, the 11th homer he allowed to the Yankees in 171/3 inning pitched against them this season.
Sanchez's second was a monster three-run shot to center field off lefty reliever Eduardo Rodriguez in the seventh. He crushed it whopping 478 feet long hitting the light stanchion in left-center field _ the longest home run of the 2018 postseason.
Two innings earlier, Red Sox reliever Ryan Brasier had barked at Sanchez" "Get in the f _ king box!" as the catcher was taking a moment between pitches.
Well, you get what you ask for.
"I believe in the player, clearly. Next season is now, hopefully it starts now," Yankee GM Brian Cashman said of Sanchez before the start of the ALDS. "I thought he played really well in the wild card game, hopefully he'll do what Gary Sanchez is capable of doing on both sides of the plate in this series.
"October is the second season" Cashman added. "We're hoping we'll see what we're used to seeing from Gary, which is a great player."
The Yankees haven't seen too much of that this season.
Sanchez was hampered by a groin injury that forced him onto the disabled list for most of July and August. He never seemed to be able to get going offensively. He finished the season hitting .186 with 18 homers and 53 RBI in 89 games.
And his work behind the plate was worse.
Sanchez led all major league catchers with18 passed balls. That's five more passed balls that Red Sox catcher Sandy Leon, who had the second-most in the majors, but Sanchez accomplished that in 11 fewer games and 30 fewer innings.
With Sanchez behind the plate, the Yankees pitchers have thrown 45 wild pitches, fifth-most in the majors.
Those issues combined for a combustible game in Oakland last month, when Sanchez let through two passed balls and Luis Severino was charged with two wild pitches. As the two walked off the field, they argued and had words in the dugout as well.
But in the end, Severino said he did not want to throw to another catcher and in the wild-card game, the battery was extremely effective.
Cashman, said that the Yankees like other things that Sanchez does defensively. Sanchez has thrown out 12 of 28 runners trying to steal a base on him. Also, the Yankee pitchers have their lowest combined ERA with Sanchez behind the plate.
"I think he's our best game caller, shuts down the opposing team's running game, obviously he's a threat at the plate with every pitch, Cashman said. "He is by far our best option behind the plate."
For the Yankees, their patience with Sanchez paid off Saturday night, at least.
