Gary Sanchez went 0-for-4 with a strikeout in his first game against his former team, and it was also the first opportunity for the former polarizing Yankee catcher to speak to the New York media since he was traded to the Twins prior to this season.
“I think the most difficult thing was adjusting to new faces and at the same time leaving a lot of friends behind, starting a new chapter in my career,” Sanchez said through his interpreter before his Twins lost 10-4 to the Yankees. “But at the same time, Minnesota was very welcoming…I knew a lot of people in this clubhouse as well that I’ve played with or met before, so that was really comforting.”
Sanchez arrived with Gio Urshela, a fan favorite in New York before he was included in the package sent to the Twins. Sanchez was a much more divisive player in the eyes of the Yankee fanbase, some never warming up to him due to claims of laziness and frustrating slumps that overshadowed two straight phenomenal seasons to begin his big-league career.
“That’s part of the game,” Sanchez said. “It happens to ever baseball player. Pitchers, they make their adjustments. We as hitters have to make our own adjustments as well. I had a couple bad years, and that’s about it. I got traded, and now I’m getting better and just moving forward.
“I think it was just changing my mentality of ‘I’m not a Yankee anymore.’ Turn the page and move forward.”
Sanchez came up through the minor league ranks as one of the promising Baby Bombers group, and that core enjoyed immediate success in a memorable 2017 season. Sanchez never could return to that high, but he still misses the relationships he had with those fellow prospects, among other aspects of playing for the Yankees.
“All the relationships built throughout the years in the minor leagues, and I miss the chefs over there,” Sanchez said.
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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