Gary Sanchez dominated Game 2 of the ALDS for the Yankees. It was a strong reminder of just how talented the young catcher is.
Hitting two home runs in one playoff game isn’t going to completely erase a horrific regular season for Gary Sanchez, but it’s a huge step in the right direction. His dominant effort against the Red Sox helped the Yankees even the series at one game a piece, and helped him to remind fans just how impactful he can be.
The 25-year-old catcher came into the 2018 season with massive expectations. There were a lot of MLB executives who believed he was the Yankees most talented hitter. That says a lot when you consider the competition. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are both legitimate stars. Saying Sanchez is the most talented player in that trio was high praise.
His regular season performance made all of those statements look foolish. Sanchez battled slumps and injuries en route to a putrid .186 batting average during the regular season. He did manage to slug 18 home runs in 89 games, but it was definitely a campaign Sanchez would prefer to forget.
That’s why some fans were surprised that Aaron Boone committed to starting Sanchez in the playoffs so emphatically. He made it clear to the press that starting Austin Romine was never a serious consideration. It’s fair to say that Boone feels vindicated after watching Sanchez punish the Red Sox with two home runs in Game 2.
His massive three-run shot in the 7th inning is something Yankees fans will remember for a long time if they’re able to dispatch their arch-rivals. Not only did it give the team a comfortable margin to work with in the late innings, it was also a massive blast. His 479-foot blast was the longest playoff home run since 2015.
His pair of homers also put in him good company in the Yankee record books. The only other New York backstop to hit multiple home runs in a playoff game was Yogi Berra back in 1956. Sanchez will certainly hope that Game 3 can be deja vu all over again in terms of his hitting.
The question now becomes whether his performance in Game 2 will go down as an isolated incident or the start of a hot streak for Sanchez. He has the talent to carry the Yankees offense for a stretch of time. If he can do that, his poor regular season will be forgotten. That’s just how important beating the Red Sox in October is for the Yankees’ passionate fan base.