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Gary Sanchez’s Big Wednesday Outing Placed Him in Franchise History

Originally posted on FanNation Inside The Padres
By Matt Wagner | Last updated 6/8/23

In case you hadn't heard, the San Diego Padres recently acquired a new catcher in Gary Sanchez.

You may remember Sanchez from his time with the New York Yankees, when he electrified the Bronx nightly with a thunderous bat before eventually falling out of favor and becoming everything from a derided figure to a footnote in the majors.

Recently, he'd been with the Minnesota Twins in 2022, putting up subpar numbers in the Twin Cities, before playing a grand total of three games with the New York Mets in this season.

So when the Padres brought Sanchez to southern California, not all that much was really thought of about the move besides "oh, remember when he used to be great?"

Well, since he moved over to the Friars on May 30th, Sanchez suddenly found his form from six years ago, turning himself suddenly back into a feared figure in the Padres lineup.

He hit another home run on Wednesday against the Mariners, and that latest bomb put him in the Padres' history books.

Yes, Sanchez is already in Padres' lore, something that many would comfortably describe as being completely unexpected when he became the newest Padres backstop around one short week ago.

He's provided the rather surprising jolt of energy when the Padres needed it the most.

San Diego's currently faced with another injury problem as Xander Bogaerts remains out with wrist pain, and the Padres currently sit eight games behind the NL West division leading Arizona Diamondbacks as of Wednesday afternoon -- not quiet out of contention, especially in early June -- but definitely a concerning deficit to be in at this point of the season, especially with the uncertainty surrounding Bogaerts.

For Sanchez, he's certainly done enough to be an every day starter for the Padres, and his heroics could be enough to at least keep San Diego afloat.

This article first appeared on FanNation Inside The Padres and was syndicated with permission.

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