Davey Martinez noticed something was different with Aníbal Sánchez the first time he saw the 38-year-old, 15-year veteran throw this spring.
Sánchez, who was part of the roster for the World Series winning Washington Nationals in 2019, and pitched for the club in 2020, returned from a year off and signed with the team again this spring, arriving in Spring Training looking for a shot to make it back to the major leagues for a 16th season.
The year off, Martinez said during the first week of camp, seemed to have helped.
“Aníbal threw a bullpen today and he was strike one, strike one, strike one.