Respectful Sánchez tips cap to Martínez, Gomes after historic performance

St. Louis – Hours before the first pitch was thrown in Game 1 of the NLCS, José Martínez approached a collection of Nationals players on the field. The tall Venezuelan outfielder flashed his enormous smile as he shared a hug and laugh with a half dozen opponents including Nationals catcher Yan Gomes.

Gomes was working with a pitcher he rarely caught during the regular season. He appeared loose as the Nationals players shook hands with Martínez and got to work warming up.

Martínez and Gomes didn’t realize at that time the roles each would play as Aníbal Sánchez flirted with history.

Venezuelan Respect

Martínez, 31, is the son of the late former major leaguer Carlos “Café” Martínez. Known to his teammates and friends as “Cafecito,” he has his own branded coffee line. A native of the coastal city of La Guaira, Martínez is appearing in the postseason for the first time. 

Sánchez, on the other hand, has been on this stage before. The 35-year-old veteran righthander was making his ninth career postseason start on Friday. His hometown, Maracay, is roughly 150 miles away from La Guaira near the Caribbean coast. 

Both players are proud of the Venezuelan heritage and showed each other appreciation as countrymen in one of the biggest moments of Sánchez’s career. 

Martínez singled to center with two outs in the eighth inning to break up Sánchez’s no-hit bid. Sánchez became the only pitcher in postseason history to take a no-hitter into the seventh inning a second time; he also completed a no-hitter as a rookie in 2006.

Sánchez had no problem showing Martínez respect for ending his no-hitter after the game. He tried to deflect the fact that Martínez is Venezuelan after the game, pointing to his skill as a batter.

“It’s not about where the guy is from, but you always respect Martinez,” Sánchez said. “He’s a great hitter. He’s one of the top hitters for me and it’s no surprise for him to get that big hit in that moment.”

As he exited the field, Sánchez also tipped his cap in the direction of home plate umpire Mike Muchlinski. Sean Doolittle took care of the final four outs and the Nationals earned a road victory in Game 1 of the NLCS.

A different strongattery mate

The other player Sánchez was quick to credit after the game was his catcher, Gomes.

As Sánchez resurrected his career with the Braves last year, he found a comfort zone with Kurt Suzuki. When he signed with Washington before the 2019 season, he brought Suzuki with him from Atlanta.

Gomes caught Sánchez only four times during the 2019 season. Suzuki suffered a concussion in the NLDS and wasn’t cleared to play in Game 1 so Gomes needed to step up.

“They had a great game plan together,” Washington’s manager said after the game. “[Gomes] very seldom caught Sánchez this year but he was unbelievable today. So I’m proud of him.”

The only Brazilian to ever appear in the World Series made the most of his opportunity in Game 1. He drove in the first run of the game on one of his two hits. His communication with Sánchez as the two navigated the pressure trying to complete a no-hitter was critical.

Throughout the game Gomes and Sánchez discussed what they were seeing. The gameplan they developed before the game and during the contest was working, and Sánchez was on point executing what Gomes was asking him to throw.

“Aníbal and I had a great game plan going into [Game 1],” Gomes said. “We were sticking to it and we were communicating really well in between innings. I would go up to him if he had anything to say to me or what we were seeing, we were going with. I mean he was tremendous tonight, hitting every quadrant any time we needed to hit a spot or something, every pitch meant something, we were setting it up for something else.”

Sánchez was able to get comfortable quickly with Gomes and shared credit for the strong performance with his catcher after the game.

“Gomes is really good behind the plate and at the end if you got a really good communication, everything is easier to call the game,” he said.

Back on Top

At 35, Sánchez’s career has been a long journey to the mound in Game 1. From throwing a no-hitter as a rookie for the Marlins to the mound at Busch Stadium, he has experienced the exhilaration of a dominant performance and the frustration of struggles.

Some thought his career was close to being over when the Minnesota Twins released him less than three weeks after signing him during Spring Training last year. He has needed to reinvent himself as a pitcher to stay effective.

The hard work he’s put in makes him appreciative of successes like Friday night.

“I always enjoy that because every opportunity is special,” Sánchez said. “I feel blessed all the time because for my whole career … since I went to Detroit, I had the opportunity to be in that position several times.”

Featured Image: Jamie Squire / Getty Images Sport