Yankees: Gary Sanchez showing off after grand slam is what we live for
In what is a must-win series against the lowly Baltimore Orioles, Gary Sanchez and the New York Yankees haven’t come out and dominated the way their record says that they should. The Yankees were a few lucky breaks away from losing both of the first two games of the series at home.
Giancarlo Stanton bailed the Yankees out on Friday night, crushing a home run and knocking in a game-winning run, and the rest of the lineup did next to nothing on Saturday, with an Aroldis Chapman meltdown sealing their fate. Simply put, they needed to be better in the final game of the series.
The Yankees went down 1-0 early thanks to a home run from Austin Hays, setting up what could’ve been a nightmare scenario. Sanchez took matters into his own hands, smoking one of the most jaw-dropping blasts you’ll see in the American League this year
Sanchez unleashed a monstrous grand slam off Orioles lefty Keegan Akin, planting his 19th home run of the season firmly in the second deck in left field. The Yankees jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second inning after this shot, giving Corey Kluber a nice cushion to work with.
How did Sanchez react after such a titanic homer? Slowly stride to first base, admiring the shot all the way, before tossing the bat aside. Effortlessly cool.
Gary Sanchez put the Yankees on top with a huge home run.
Statcast estimates that Sanchez’s rocket left his bat at an insane 113 miles per hour, reaching 430 feet. With Sanchez, Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Joey Gallo in the same lineup, this team is more well-equipped than any other when it comes to reeling off tape-measure home runs.
This wasn’t exactly a home run that only went out due to Yankee Stadium’s dimensions. He got all of this one.
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While Sanchez came into the game hitting .213, and his style of play can irritate some of the batting average purists out there, he more than makes up for that when he gets the Yankees out of jams by hitting balls into Westchester County like that. Very few catchers in the game have his power stroke.
The Yankees still need to put the Orioles away and take two of three from what is a very winnable series, but Sanchez has given them plenty to work with. Hopefully, this is the beginning of a hot streak that could last until the calendar flips to October and New York is fighting for their playoff life.