Blue Jays Slugger Drops Honest Quote After Monster Night Against Former Team
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When the trade deadline inched closer last summer, the Miami Marlins had some decisions to make. In the end, the president of baseball operations, Peter Bendix, traded left-handed power hitter Jesús Sánchez to the Houston Astros. He was the power-hitting bat that the Astros coveted.
He finished out the season in Houston, but in February, the Blue Jays sent Joey Loperfido to Houston for Sánchez. In acquiring Sánchez, Toronto was hoping to find a bat that could produce in their lineup. The Blue Jays have been waiting for him to come up with that one big hit. He did on Tuesday night against his former team, the Miami Marlins.
After a slow start to the season, Sánchez has been showing signs of coming out of his slump. He hit the first grand slam of his career off former teammate Sandy Alcantara in an 8-1 win at Rogers Centre. It was the sixth home run of the season, but it was his most gratifying given who it was against.
Blue Jays' Jesús Sánchez Enjoyed His First Grand Slam
There is always something special when a player faces his former team after being traded. It is even more special when he can cap a big inning with a grand slam to seal a win for his current team. It was a win that Toronto needed after dropping the first game of the series to the Marlins on Monday night.
“I mean, I understand it's a business, but they let me go. Every time I play against them, I'm ready to compete. Adrenaline against the Marlins is always going to be there,'' said Sánchez to SportNet's Ben Nicholson-Smith.
It is a business, and truthfully, Sánchez might be better off right now in Toronto than he would be in South Florida. This season, he is slashing .285/.308/.423 for a Blue Jays team that has struggled to stay healthy and needs anyone who can step up. Along with his six home runs, he's driven in 27 runs and has 10 doubles. He held the third spot in the order with Vladimir Guerrero out of the lineup.
Sanchez spent six seasons with Miami from 2020 until the trade last July. He slashed .243/.310/.426 for the Marlins with 69 home runs. However, after finishing the season with Houston, he had found a home with the Blue Jays. Manager John Schneider has a simple message for his slugger.
“For Sanch, get the ball in the air to right field and right centre, big fella,” Schneider said to MLB.com, “and don’t be afraid to let it rip.”
Let it rip is what he did against Alcantara. Toronto will look for the series win on Wednesday, but as far as Sánchez goes, it was already a series that he has to be happy with against a team that traded him after six seasons.
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Scott Roche has covered both college and professional sports for nearly three decades for various outlets. Scott has covered the MLB, NHL, and college sports and he is someone always looking for a good rumor, no matter which sport it is.