By Jordan Long
Aníbal Sanchez waited for a call to pitch for a MLB franchise this season. He never received it and remained unsigned. Sanchez saw the writing on the wall and decided to retire from baseball altogether. Let’s take a look back at his career.
Sanchez started his career with the then Florida Marlins in 2006. That season he went 10-3 with an ERA of 2.83. Sanchez was able to strike out 72 batters, pretty good for a rookie. Not many pitchers can put up 10 wins in their first MLB season. Sanchez would go on to pitch for the Marlins’ franchise for the next 6 years.
His most wins for the Marlins came in 2010. Sanchez won 13 games that year but lost 12. His ERA stood at 3.55. Sanchez was dealt to Detroit on July 23rd. In a Marlins uniform, Sanchez compiled a 44-45 record with an ERA of 3.75 and 676 strikeouts.
Sanchez would stay in Detroit until the end of the 2017 season. With the Tigers, he had a career best 14 wins in 2013. The only other year where he won 10 or more games with the Tigers was 2015.
In the postseason, the Tigers earned a playoff spot 3 times with him, in 2012, 2013, and 2014. In 2012, Sanchez pitched in 3 games with a record of 1-2. 2013 it was the same record. In 2014 he only pitched 2 innings in the postseason.
Sanchez moved on to Atlanta for the 2018 season. In his only season for Atlanta, Sanchez’s record was 7-6 with an ERA of 2.83. Atlanta could have kept him following 2018 but let him test free agency. On December 20, 2018, Sanchez agreed to a 2-year $19 million contract with Washington. Washington expected him to improve the starting rotation.
In 2019, Sanchez went 11-8, the first time he won 10 or more games since 2015. His ERA that year ended at 3.85. Washington went to the postseason and won the World Series that year. During the postseason run, Sanchez appeared in 18 innings with a record of 1-1 and an ERA of 2.50.
In 2020 Sanchez won 4 games. His ERA skyrocketed to 6.62. Sanchez could have pitched the next year with any team. Teams were calling him. With the COVID-19 pandemic and protocols put in place in MLB, Sanchez decided to take a year off.
Last year, he agreed to a minor league deal with Washington. It didn’t guarantee him an MLB roster spot. He pitched his way back to the big league rotation but it didn’t work out well. His record was 4-6 with an ERA of 4.28.
Sanchez was hoping to have another shot to pitch this year. Teams weren’t calling him. It could be his age at 39 years old. Sanchez saw the writing on the wall and decided it was best to retire from the game.
Sanchez leaves the game with a record of 116-119. His ERA stands at 4.06. He was able to strike out 1,774 batters. Sanchez was never voted into an All-Star Game. That didn’t matter because he won a World Series ring, a goal for every MLB player. Hopefully, he will look back and be proud he was able to pitch 16 MLB seasons.
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