Pedro Martinez: Cheap Shots Might Ruin Gary Sanchez’s Reputation
Baseball Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez says Gary Sanchez’s cheap shots in Thursday’s Yankees–Tigers brawl could follow him for a long time.
The former Red Sox ace and Yankees nemesis now does commentary for MLB Network. He suggested on Twitter that Sanchez—who threw punches at Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera during the fracas—could take a big hit to his reputation around the league.
“Sanchez is going to wear it,” Martinez, who knows plenty about benches-clearing incidents, said on-air. He then followed up with a pair of tweets.
Sanchez was caught on video running into the scrum and hitting Cabrera while down. He later struck Tigers third baseman Nick Castellanos. Former MLB pitcher Dallas Braden was also among Sanchez’s critics.
“It's something that happened in the moment,” Sanchez, 24, told reporters after the game. “It's just a reaction of trying to protect your teammate.”
The young catcher has been one of New York’s top players down the stretch, hitting .311 with 10 home runs and 21 RBIs in August. He along with several teammates could face suspensions following the fight.
