For parts of six seasons, Gary Sánchez was a Yankees mainstay.
Friday night, he provided a flashback to his days in pinstripes.
The former Yankee had one of the big hits of the evening, a two-run single that helped the Orioles win in The Bronx, 5-3, to continue the Bombers’ struggles.
With the bases loaded and two outs in the first inning, he ripped a 2-2 Max Fried sweeper into left field to drive in two runs. In the fifth, his single was 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 said through a translator. “I know the stadium really well, and I feel really comfortable playing 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 around since leaving the Yankees following the 2021 season. The Orioles are his sixth team, with previous stints on the Twins, Mets, Padres and Brewers.
He had only flashed the power that he was known for as a Yankee since his departure.
He wasn’t having a great season so far this year, raising his slash line to .205/.294/.341 with a .635 OPS after Friday. At least that’s when the veteran catcher made an impact against his old team.
“I would say it’s pretty normal, every time I come back,” he said. “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 were boos.
He didn’t hear them.
“I was so focused on that at-bat,” said Sánchez, who hit 138 home 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.”
