Aaron Boone was hoping to see Gary Sanchez on the field before Tuesday’s series opener against Sanchez’s Twins, but before that, he was asked about what it was like to manage Sanchez during his complicate Yankees tenure.
Sanchez was a prized catching prospect who had a historic rookie season and followed that up with an All-Star 2017 campaign. He had arguably the biggest hit of the Baby Bomber era with his two-run go-ahead double to cap a late rally in game four of the 2017 ALCS, but things went downhill from there. A brutal offensive slump throughout 2018 made his defensive woes all the more glaring, and constant adjustments behind the plate, most notably his stance, seemed to get in the way of his ability to remain consistent at the plate.
In the end, the Yanks elected to move on, but Boone never agreed with the criticism that was thrown Sanchez’s way by a large portion of the fanbase and some of the media.
“I felt like I sat up here a lot defending the quality of the person, which was always evident with me,” Boone said. No matter what he was going through, he was always a great teammate, he worked, and I don’t feel like that was always understood or appreciated.
“I just want to see him do well. Hopefully we can contain him a little bit, but I certainly want to see him do well.”
The Yanks did contain him in Tuesday’s series opener, holding him to a hitless night with a strikeout in four at-bats, but another former Yankee in Gio Urshela went 2-for-4 in a 10-4 win for the Yanks.
Both have been heating up at the plate of late for their new team, and Boone couldn’t be happier for them. Just not when the Yankees are in town.
“I love both of those guys,” Boone said. “And I'm certainly happy they're doing well.”
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
Listen live to WFAN:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker (just say ‘Play W-F-A-N’)
