Sánchez finally slugs the homer he's been waiting 6 years to hit

CHICAGO -- For a few seconds, Ali Sánchez  said he “felt nothing” as he tracked the flight of his first Major League home run. It was when he began to run, a trot around the bases that the Yankees' catcher had pictured for his entire life, that he felt everything.

Sánchez’s three-run blast highlighted a late surge as the Yankees rallied for a 9-5 victory over the White Sox on Monday evening at Rate Field. As he rounded the bases, Sánchez said he pictured a younger version of himself, taking similar steps on dusty ballfields back home in Venezuela.

“I thought about it in my mind a lot,” Sánchez said. “You always dream to play in the big leagues. Having your first homer with a Yankees uniform and getting the ‘W,’ it’s special.”

Sánchez proudly displayed the keepsake ball on the top shelf of his locker, already encased in a plastic cube. The trade had come easily; he said he’d signed a few items and posed for photographs with a young fan, leaning into a microphone to emphasize, “Thank you, Santiago.”

The drive off Sean Newcomb was a moment that once seemed like a long shot for the 29-year-old Sánchez, who made it to the Majors with the Mets in 2020, then spent the next several years bouncing around: the Cardinals, Marlins, Blue Jays and Red Sox.

“Everyone’s journey is different,” manager Aaron Boone said. “There’s so many tremendous stories to tell about different guys, and Ali is one of those.”

When the Yankees offered Sánchez a Minor League contract this past winter, it contained no guarantees of playing time; he began the year with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, producing modest offense. When he was called up in June, he expressed surprise at the promotion.

But he has made the most of the opportunity, combining a reputation as a solid defender with some pop, including nine hits in 27 at-bats against left-handed pitching (.333).

“He works his tail off behind the plate,” said Yankees left-hander Max Fried. “He puts together real quality at-bats. For him to get in that spot and handle a fastball from a really good pitcher, I was really happy for him. It’s a long time coming, but I’m really glad he was able to celebrate that. He deserves it.”

The Yankees have not squeezed much offense out of the catching position, which general manager Brian Cashman has called “an issue” as the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline approaches. Entering Monday, their .550 OPS at catcher ranked 29th among the 30 clubs.

But while the Yankees continue to poke around for upgrades, connected to the Twins’ Ryan Jeffers and the Reds’ Tyler Stephenson, Austin Wells says he’s seeing the ball better. Wells has four hits in 12 at-bats (.333) since returning from the All-Star break, and Sánchez hopes he’s doing his part, too.

“I’m thankful that I’ve been getting opportunities, and I’m just trying to do my part to win games,” Sánchez said.

Sánchez’s swing provided a highlight in an otherwise sloppy contest, one that prompted Boone to dig out a rallying cry used by the 1983 White Sox: “Winning ugly.”

The box score showed two Yankees errors among several examples of less-than-crisp defensive play, including Anthony Volpe dropping a ninth-inning pop-up that forced closer David Bednar to enter for the final out.

But Volpe also participated in one of the Yanks’ best plays of the night, a sharp relay that cut down Colson Montgomery at home plate to end the seventh inning as he attempted to score what would have been the tying run.

“We’ve got to play cleaner than that, but it was a really gritty effort by a lot of different people in that room,” Boone said.

Making his second start since returning from the injured list, Fried threw 66 pitches over three-plus innings, continuing to build his stamina. A 32-pitch first spelled a short evening as Fried surrendered three early runs.

“I wish I would’ve been sharper to be able to get some more innings, but I came out of it well, especially with some high-stress innings,” Fried said.

Down early, the Yankees capitalized on a bases-loaded, none-out opportunity in the fourth inning, building a four-run frame highlighted by Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s two-run double. Chisholm also had a well-executed bunt in the eighth that set up that frame, which included Sánchez’s homer.

“It just shows,” Chisholm said, “that we’re never going to give up.”