For elements of six seasons, Gary Sánchez was a Yankees mainstay.
Friday night time, he supplied a flashback to his days in pinstripes.
The previous Yankee had one of many large hits of the night, a two-run single that helped the Orioles win in The Bronx, 5-3, to proceed the Bombers’ struggles.
With the bases loaded and two outs within the first inning, he ripped a 2-2 Max Fried sweeper into left area to drive in two runs. Within the fifth, his single was a part of a rally that helped the Orioles get even at three runs apiece.
“It feels good to come back here after spending so many years here,” Sánchez mentioned by way of a translator. “I do know the stadium rather well, and I really feel actually snug enjoying right here.
“It feels good because we got the victory; because we got the win; not because it was against them. It doesn’t matter who the opponent is. It just feels good to get that hit there and get the win.”
Sánchez has bounced round since leaving the Yankees following the 2021 season. The Orioles are his sixth crew, with earlier stints on the Twins, Mets, Padres and Brewers.
He had solely flashed the facility that he was recognized for as a Yankee since his departure.
He wasn’t having an important season to this point this yr, elevating his slash line to .205/.294/.341 with a .635 OPS after Friday. Not less than that’s when the veteran catcher made an influence in opposition to his previous crew.
“I would say it’s pretty normal, every time I come back,” he mentioned. “I just like playing here. You see the ball pretty well and it’s a really good stadium.”
When Sánchez walked to the plate for his first at-bat, there have been boos.
He didn’t hear them.
“I was so focused on that at-bat,” mentioned Sánchez, who hit 138 residence runs as a Yankee with an .804 OPS. “I’m trying to focus on what I need to do, that I didn’t hear what they were doing or what they wanted to do.”
