I’m thrilled and honored,” Sanchez said. “When I broke in with the team, I never, ever could dream this kind of thing. I just hope I can get through my acceptance speech.” Sanchez will be inducted during the team’s home opener, April 1, a game against Madison. “It will be great to back on the field again. I wonder if they’ll let me start?”
Sanchez, who is 38 years old, retired last season after a long series of injuries stripped him of the dominant stuff he once had, and that fueled his 141 career victories (129 of them with the Nine). He broke into the big leagues in 2022, going 4-8 with a bad team, but showing his moxie in posting a 3.84 ERA. He was a guy who through some serious heat from the left side of the mound, and augmented that with breaking stuff that could buckle knees. At the height of his career, he teamed with guys like Crash LaLoosh, Eduardo Lopez, and Jose Chavez to form one of the most notorious rotations in franchise history. Always popular, fans revolted when he was dealt to Huntsville age 35. “I understood, though,” he said. “This is a great game, and it’s a lot of fun to play. But it’s a business.”
Sanchez enters the team’s Hall as it’s 5th leading winner all-time. His 32 War is 7th on the club’s all-time list, and his 1,310 strike outs is #6 all-time for the franchise. His best season was 2029, where he won 20 games and posted a 2.98 ERA.
