Gary Sánchez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gary Sánchez |
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Sánchez with the New York Yankees in 2016
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| Baltimore Orioles – No. 99 | |||
| Catcher / Designated hitter | |||
| Born: December 2, 1992 Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic |
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| debut | |||
| October 3, 2015, for the New York Yankees | |||
| MLB statistics (through June 30, 2025) |
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| Batting average | .225 | ||
| Home runs | 188 | ||
| Runs batted in | 507 | ||
| Teams | |||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||
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Gary Sánchez Herrera (born December 2, 1992) is a professional baseball catcher from the Dominican Republic. He currently plays for the Baltimore Orioles in Major League Baseball (MLB). Before joining the Orioles, he played for teams like the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, San Diego Padres, and Milwaukee Brewers.
Gary Sánchez made his MLB debut in 2015. He quickly became famous in August 2016, earning both the Rookie of the Month and Player of the Month awards. Even though he played in only 53 games that year, he finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting. In 2017, he was chosen as an All-Star and won a Silver Slugger Award. Sánchez is also the fastest catcher in MLB history to hit 100 home runs.
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Early Life and Family
Gary Sánchez grew up in a place called La Victoria, Dominican Republic. His parents separated when he was young. He and his three brothers and one sister were raised by their mother, Orquidia Herrera, and their grandmother, Agustina Pena. They still saw their father often. Gary's brother, Miguel Sánchez, also played baseball for a while in the Seattle Mariners organization.
Gary Sánchez's Baseball Journey
Starting with the Yankees
Minor League Years
Gary Sánchez started his professional baseball journey when he signed with the New York Yankees on July 2, 2009. He received a $3 million bonus for signing. Before the 2010 season, Baseball America magazine said he was the Yankees' seventh-best young player. He began playing in the rookie league. Later in 2010, he moved up to the Staten Island Yankees. He had a great first season, hitting .329 with eight home runs and 43 runs batted in (RBIs) in 47 games.
In 2011, Sánchez was considered one of the top young players in all of baseball. He played for the Charleston RiverDogs but had to stop early due to a finger injury. He still hit 17 home runs and had 52 RBIs. In 2012, he moved up to the Tampa Yankees.
Sánchez continued to play well in the minor leagues. In 2013, he was promoted to the Trenton Thunder. By 2015, he was chosen to play in the All-Star Futures Game, which features top young players. After that, he moved up to the highest minor league level, playing for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
Major League Debut
After the 2015 minor league season ended, the Yankees called Gary Sánchez up to the major leagues. He played his first MLB game on October 3, 2015. The Yankees even included him on their team for the 2015 American League Wild Card Game. After the season, he played in the Arizona Fall League, where he hit the most home runs and was named the Most Valuable Player of the Fall Stars Game.
2016: A Breakout Year
Sánchez started the 2016 season in the minor leagues but was called up to the Yankees again on August 3. He got his first major league hit that same day. On August 10, he hit his first major league home run. He quickly became a star, hitting two home runs in a game on August 16. He was named the American League Player of the Week twice in a row! By September, he was named both the AL Player of the Month and Rookie of the Month.
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Gary Sánchez hit his 19th home run in just his 45th game, making him the fastest player in modern baseball history to reach that many home runs. In 2016, he played in 53 games, hitting .299 with 20 home runs and 42 RBIs. He was also great at throwing out runners trying to steal bases. He finished second in the voting for the AL Rookie of the Year award.
2017: All-Star Season
On April 8, 2017, Sánchez got injured and missed some games. But he came back strong in May. On June 10, he hit the hardest home run of his career, and the next day, he hit his farthest home run, traveling 450 feet! Sánchez was chosen for his first American League All-Star team. He even took part in the 2017 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby, where he competed against other powerful hitters.
Sánchez played a big part in the Yankees' success that year. On August 23, he hit two more home runs, one of which traveled 493 feet! He broke the record for most home runs by a Yankees catcher in a single season, passing legends like Yogi Berra and Jorge Posada. He finished the season hitting .278 with 33 home runs and 90 RBIs. He also won the Silver Slugger Award as the best hitting catcher in the American League.
2018: Injuries and Challenges
On April 26, 2018, Sánchez hit his first career "walk-off" home run, which means his hit won the game for the Yankees in the final inning. Later that season, he injured his groin and had to miss time. He finished the 2018 season hitting .186 with 18 home runs. He also had surgery on his shoulder during the off-season.
2019: Reaching Milestones
On April 7, 2019, Gary Sánchez hit three home runs in one game! On April 27, he hit his first career "grand slam," which is a home run with the bases loaded. On August 23, 2019, Sánchez hit his 100th career home run. This made him the fastest catcher ever to reach 100 home runs and the fastest player in American League history to do so.
He also broke his own record for most home runs by a Yankees catcher in a single season, hitting 34 home runs in 2019. This made him only the second Yankees catcher, after Yogi Berra, to have multiple seasons with 30 or more home runs.
2020-2021: Continued Play
The 2020 baseball season was shorter due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sánchez had a tough year, hitting .147 with 10 home runs. In 2021, his hitting improved slightly, as he hit 23 home runs and had 54 RBIs.
Moving to Other Teams
Minnesota Twins (2022)
On March 13, 2022, Gary Sánchez was traded from the Yankees to the Minnesota Twins. He played one season with the Twins.
San Francisco Giants (2023)
In March 2023, Sánchez signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants. He played in 16 games for their Triple-A team before deciding to leave the team in May.
New York Mets (2023)
Soon after, on May 9, 2023, Sánchez signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets. He played a few games for their Triple-A team and then was called up to the Mets' major league team. He played in 3 games for the Mets before moving on.
San Diego Padres (2023)
On May 29, 2023, Sánchez joined the San Diego Padres. He played in 72 games for them, hitting 19 home runs and having 46 RBIs. His season ended early in September when he fractured his right wrist after being hit by a pitch.
Milwaukee Brewers (2024)
On February 21, 2024, Sánchez signed a contract with the Milwaukee Brewers. He played in 89 games for the Brewers in 2024, hitting 11 home runs and 37 RBIs. After the 2024 season, the Brewers decided not to keep him for 2025, making him a free agent.
Baltimore Orioles (2025-Present)
On December 10, 2024, Gary Sánchez signed a contract with the Baltimore Orioles. He started the 2025 season as a backup catcher. In July 2025, his manager announced that Sánchez would miss 8 to 10 weeks due to a right knee injury.
Dominican Baseball Career
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Gary Sánchez has also played baseball in the Dominican Professional Baseball League during the off-season. He played for the Leones del Escogido from 2011 to 2013 and for the Toros del Este in 2013-2014 and 2020-2021.
Personal Life
Gary Sánchez is married to Sahaira, and they have two daughters. He has said that becoming a father helped him become a more dedicated and hardworking baseball player.
See also
In Spanish: Gary Sánchez para niños
