WASHINGTON — The last time Aníbal Sánchez started an MLB game, there were no fans in attendance to see it happen.
The Nationals’ right-hander took the mound against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday for his first outing since Sept. 26, 2020. His last start in the majors with crowd cheering behind him was all the way back in Game 3 of the 2019 World Series. After taking the 2021 season off and spending the last four months rehabbing a neck injury, Thursday’s game felt like a “blessing.”
“It was hard to [get] here, especially because it was one year off from baseball,” Sánchez said after the game.