Reports: Superstar Talent was in the middle of everything in Marlins’ extra-inning thriller

MIAMI — Jesús Sánchez was at the heart of the action for most of Thursday afternoon’s game between the Marlins and Red Sox at loanDepot park.

Sánchez ended righty Nick Pivetta’s no-hitter with a two-out triple in the seventh inning. He was tagged out at home plate as the potential game-winning run in the ninth. Then, he smashed a two-run homer to tie the game in the 11th.

Regrettably for Miami, Sánchez could only stand at the on-deck circle as Josh Bell hit a flyout to center on a full-count pitch, sealing the Marlins’ 6-5 loss to Boston in 12 innings.

Sánchez, who needed just a single to complete the franchise’s second cycle, was on the verge of becoming the third player since 1974 to achieve the feat with a walk-off RBI in extra innings.

“Sánchez had an impressive performance, hitting the ball really well,” remarked manager Skip Schumaker. “He’s been consistently hitting the ball hard. In the past month, his performance has been really good. Though his overall statistics may not reflect it, he’s been performing exceptionally. He’s handling every pitch, whether it’s off-speed or fastball.

Previously, he was chasing pitches outside the strike zone, particularly soft ones, which caused some trouble, not just for Sánchez but for anyone.” “However, Sánchez had a great day. He also played well in the outfield. He was our best performer and brought us back into the game. We had the opportunity to win a couple of times.” In his last 14 games, Sánchez has a batting line of .306/.370/.694 (1.064 OPS) with two doubles, one triple, five home runs, and nine RBIs. During this period, he is one of nine Major Leaguers with five or more homers and an OPS over 1.000.

He’s in elite company, alongside Bryce Harper, Shohei Ohtani, Yordan Alvarez, Aaron Judge, Gunnar Henderson, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ian Happ, and Brandon Nimmo. This is Sánchez’s second 14-game stretch in his career with this level of performance. He also excelled during a period in September 2021. “I’m just trying to enjoy the game as much as I can, even on days when I don’t feel like smiling,” said Sánchez through interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. “I’m making an effort to smile and bring a positive attitude to the field. I love the game, and I want to enjoy it every time I play.”

Before Thursday, according to Statcast, Sánchez was in the 94th percentile with a hard-hit rate of 51.4 percent. Additionally, he has continued to implement his focus from last year, which involved hitting to the opposite field more frequently, in order to avoid being seen as a one-dimensional hitter. Among left-handed MLB players with at least 100 at-bats, his 28.4 percent pull rate is the seventh lowest.

It was to the opposite field that Sánchez directed Pivetta’s four-seamer, which was on the outside of the plate, smashing it off the left-center-field wall to end the no-hit bid. Before the final game, Sánchez had the third-highest first-pitch swing rate (51.9%) among MLB players with at least 150 at-bats.

“My approach is always focused on hitting the ball to the middle or outside of the field,” Sánchez explained. “That’s my mindset every time I’m at bat, and if I end up pulling it when it’s inside, it’s just a reflex. But my mindset is always to go middle or outside.”

Pivetta commented, “Sánchez took a good swing on a fastball at a 0-0 count, and credit to him, he made solid contact, and that’s just part of the game.”

Miami then had an opportunity to secure the win in the ninth inning when Xavier Edwards hit a single up the middle with one out. However, Sánchez was tagged out at home by catcher Reese McGuire, after a throw from center fielder Jarren Duran. Manager Schumaker requested a replay review, which confirmed the initial call. After an intentional walk, Nick Fortes flew out, ending the scoring threat.

When Sánchez was approaching third base as Duran retrieved the ball, he reached a top sprint speed of 28.7 ft/sec (the league average is 27 ft/sec). Despite that, Duran made his second-fastest throw of the season at 91.6 mph, delivering a perfectly placed one-hop throw to McGuire.

After Boston secured two runs in the 11th inning, Sánchez kicked off the bottom half by hitting a game-tying two-run home run to center field off right-handed pitcher Zack Kelly.

Schumaker commented, “He has the potential to be an excellent hitter. He’s still figuring things out and developing in this league. It’s only his third or fourth year in the league, so there’s room for improvement. Particularly against left-handed pitchers with a career OPS of .509, I believe he can be even better against right-handed pitchers. He’s a formidable opponent for righties, and I enjoy having him in the heart of the batting order, especially when facing a right-handed pitcher.”