BOSTON — Brian Cashman seemed to be uttering the only lines he could when talking glowingly about Gary Sanchez before the start of the Yankees-Red Sox ALDS on Friday.
Sanchez’s regular season was a nightmare. He landed on the disabled list twice with groin injuries. He led all catchers in passed balls to the point some called for him not to catch the AL wild-card game. And he finished with an embarrassing batting average.
Yet there was Cashman on Fenway Park’s lush lawn pledging his belief in the catcher for the present and future when asked if Sanchez could bounce back next year. What else was the general manager going to say?
“I believe in the player. Clearly, next season’s now. I thought he played really well in the wild-card game, and hopefully he’ll do what Gary Sanchez is capable of doing on both sides of the ball in this series, too,’’ Cashman said.
“October’s the second season. Hope we’ll see what we’re used to seeing from Gary, which is a great player. I think he’s our best game caller; he shuts down the opposing team’s running game. Obviously he’s a threat at the plate on every pitch. He’s by far our best option behind the plate for us.’’
Sanchez was by far the Yankees’ best option at the plate in Game 2 Saturday night when he launched two homers and carried the Yankees to a 6-2 ALDS victory that was witnessed by a sold-out crowd of 39,151.
The best-of-five series, which is tied, 1-1, rests Sunday, with Game 3 set for Yankee Stadium on Monday night, when the Yankees will start Luis Severino. Sunday’s victory guarantees a Game 4, and that will be started by CC Sabathia.
Sanchez homered leading off the second inning and crushed a three-run homer in the seventh that was measured at 479 feet and gave the Yankees a 6-1 lead. Aaron Judge got the home-run parade started with a one-out blast in the first inning off David Price, who lasted 1 ²/₃ innings in his latest postseason debacle.
Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka allowed a run and three hits in five innings to get the win. After throwing nine pitches — all strikes — in the sixth inning, Dellin Betances gave up a run in the seventh that cut the Yankees’ cushion to 6-2.
Zach Britton worked the eighth and Aroldis Chapman recorded the final three outs.
“Usually the sharpness of his split and hopefully he will have that going early and give us a chance to win,’’ Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before the game of Tanaka’s signature pitch that disappeared in the previous two starts.
Tanaka’s first strikeout was of Ian Kinsler and ended the first inning on an 88-mph splitter. He got Mitch Moreland on a 89-mph splitter for the second out in the fourth and stranded two when Kinsler whiffed at a splitter that was clocked at 88 mph. The fourth strikeout victim was Jackie Bradley Jr. for the second out of the fifth on an 88-mph split.
The Yankees thought they had the bases loaded without an out in the seventh when Red Sox third baseman Eduardo Nunez’s throw to second on Giancarlo Stanton’s grounder was ruled to pull Ian Kinsler off the base, which meant Luke Voit was safe.
Nevertheless, the Red Sox challenged the play and it was overturned. Sanchez then followed with a homer to the right of the light tower above the Green Monster in center for a 6-1 lead.
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