Sanchez becomes 1st Yankees catcher to hit 31 HRs in a season
New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez has erased any notion of a sophomore slump.
¡ADIÓS PELOTA! 💥⚾️👏 @ElGarySanchez despachó su cuadrangular #31 de la campaña. 💪🦑#PoderYankee #YankeesBéisbolhttps://t.co/9RViz6tzZg pic.twitter.com/NVKhgKOnQs
— Yankees Beisbol (@Yankees_Beisbol) September 15, 2017
Sanchez became the first backstop in Yankees history to hit more than 30 home runs in a season, clubbing his 31st in Thursday's game against the Baltimore Orioles.
Entering the game, Sanchez was tied with Jorge Posada and Yogi Berra as the other Yankees catchers with 30 home runs in a campaign. Berra, widely regarded as the best backstop in team history, did it twice (1952 and 1956).
Sanchez is also the first catcher with over 30 home runs in a season since Javvy Lopez hit 43 with the Atlanta Braves in 2003.
With the performance, the 24-year-old is now hitting .281/.349/.544 with 31 home runs and 85 RBIs in 110 games. He's second on the Yankees behind Aaron Judge with 4.0 WAR and 130 wRC+.