Yankees' Gary Sanchez commits big blunder, gifts Mets a run in Subway Series game

Tom Gatto

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Yankees' Gary Sanchez commits big blunder, gifts Mets a run in Subway Series game image

Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez gave his critics something else to use against him.

He botched an easy tag at home plate in the first inning Friday night against the Mets, which cost his team an out and the lead. Sanchez inexplicably opened a sliding lane for Mets third baseman Jonathan Villar, who appeared ready to give himself up as he tried to score on a single from Mets second baseman Javier Baez to left field. Yankees left fielder Joey Gallo's throw from the outfield beat Villar by about 25 feet.

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Not so long ago, catchers would have relished the chance to inflict physical harm on a baserunner who was out by that much, and a lot of runners would have been hardwired to run through the catcher to try to dislodge the ball. Recent MLB rule changes took such collisions out of the game, however, and the result Friday was Sanchez not staying in front of Villar.

The simple play for Sanchez would have been to take a step or two toward Villar and tag him in the chest with both hands. Even if Villar was trying to deke Sanchez, as YES analyst David Cone believed, he wasn't in any position to get physical. As SNY analyst Keith Hernandez noted, Sanchez was "in armor," meaning the chest protector and shin guards.

"I think [Sanchez] thought since [Villar] was so out that he’d pull up. In that spot where he’s dead to rights you’ve got to lower your body and maybe initiate the contact," Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters, per the New York Daily News. The Yankees did not make Sanchez available for the postgame Zoom call, the Daily News reported.

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As it was, Sanchez almost got away with his lapse because home plate umpire Ted Barrett initially called Villar out. Barrett motioned that Sanchez tagged Villar on the helmet. The Mets challenged the call, and replays showed Villar got his right foot on the plate before the tag was applied.

The play helped to reinforce the opinions of fans and evaluators who believe Sanchez is a poor defender. Twitter was predictably unkind after the play. 

Sanchez made another questionable defensive play later in the game when he failed to catch a wide throw from Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela. The Yankees went on to lose 10-3.

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.