Luis Severino believes in “The Kraken”
By César Augusto Márquez
Two mammoth home runs in Game 2 of the ALDS brought some healing for Gary Sánchez. In so doing, The Yankees catcher wrote his name alongside Yogi Berra in the Yankees record book as the only catchers to connect two homers in a postseason game in the 117 years of franchise history.
Sánchez’s face lit up nearly as much when he found out about joining Berra in the history books as it did as he watched his second home run travel an estimated 479 feet into the Boston night.
“I definitely did not know I had tied the mark of a legend like him, what an honor,” Sánchez said with a wry smile.
Sánchez knows the place Berra holds in Yankees history, and to join that company after a trying year was welcomed news to the catcher and his teammates.
Seve Believes in Gary
Before taking the mound in the Bronx for Monday’s Game 3 of the ALDS, La Vida Baseball spoke with Luis Severino about his battery mate. The first thing Severino brought up about Sánchez was the confidence of the Dominican catcher – and the confidence his teammates have in him.
“It’s true that he has not had a good year,” Severino said. “But he has been improving and everyone knows what he is capable of doing on offense. He is a catcher who has also grown a lot behind the plate in how he calls a game and blocks the ball. I feel very comfortable when Gary is calling the game.
“I have a plan for this important game and Gary is an important of it.”
A Night to Remember
When asked about his big night, Sánchez jokingly compared himself to teammate Aaron Judge. Judge also hit a home run off Boston starter David Price early in Game 2.
“I mean, everybody knows that Judge has way more power than me,” Sánchez said. “But a homer is a homer and if we have the opportunity to score runs like that, you know, even if it’s 300 feet, I will take it.”
Sánchez didn’t get cheated on his second homer, the longest postseason shot measured by Statcast. The 479-foot, three-run blast put the Red Sox on notice that the Yankees’ catcher is ready to perform at a high level in October.
A tough year
This was not an easy regular season for Sánchez. A groin injury led to multiple trips to the disabled list, limiting him to only 89 regular season games.
It also impacted his performance at the plate. After emerging as a bona fide star in the batter’s box in 2016 and 2017, Sánchez struggled to a .186 batting average this year. He wasn’t about to use his health as an excuse for the decreased production, however.
“I can make all the injuries I had an excuse, but last year I was also injured and I could still hit,” he told the media after Game 2. “I’m not a person to give excuses, one has to keep working. The season isn’t over. Now it’s getting good, you have to keep working hard for the next year.”
The Yankees hope to see more long home runs from Sánchez as their postseason quest continues on Monday.
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