ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Gary Sanchez had one of his intermittent awakenings from a season-long slumber on Tuesday night, suddenly looking like a catcher worth doubling and tripling down on, as General Manager Brian Cashman put it last week.
Sanchez homered, singled, walked and drove in four runs in the Yankees’ 9-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays, and he even helped prevent a run when he gathered a relay throw from Neil Walker and blocked Ji-Man Choi from reaching the plate.
Whether it is a sign that Sanchez is emerging from a funk or just another tease — like his upper-deck home run two weeks ago at Minnesota — will only be revealed in time.