Aníbal Sánchez
From BR Bullpen
Aníbal Alejandro Sánchez
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 180 lb.
- Born February 27, 1984 in Maracay, Venezuela
[edit] Biographical Information
Pitcher Anibal Sanchez missed the entire 2003 season due to Tommy John surgery. The next season, he played for the Lowell Spinners in the Boston Red Sox organization, going 3-4 with a 1.77 ERA and a New York-Penn League high 101 strikeouts. He began the 2005 season with the Wilmington Blue Rocks, where he went 6-1 with a 2.40 ERA in 14 starts, before being promoted to the AA Portland Sea Dogs, where he went 3-5 with a 3.45 ERA in 11 starts. After that season, he was traded to the Florida Marlins in a multi-player deal that brought Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to Boston, with Hanley Ramirez also headed to Florida.
Sanchez began 2006 with the Carolina Mudcats, where he went 3-6 with a 3.15 ERA in 15 starts. He was promoted to the majors in June of that year and soon established himself in the Marlins' rotation. He went 6-2 in his first 12 starts for the club. In his 13th start, on September 6th, Sanchez pitched a no-hitter against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He finished his rookie season with an outstanding record of 10-3, 2.83 in 18 games. Unfortunately, injuries would almost wipe out his next two seasons. In 2007, he made only 6 starts, going 2-1, 4.80, then in 2008, he was limited to 10 starts and was hit hard during those, ending the season 2-5, 5.57.
Aníbal began to get back on track in 2009, although his won-loss record of 4-8 did not show it. In fact, he pitched much better than in his previous two injury-shortened season, putting up a 3.87 ERA in 16 starts, good for a 111 ERA+ over 86 innings. He finally got back to where he was heading as a rookie with his 2010 season. He went 13-12 with a 3.55 ERA and 157 strikeouts and formed part of an excellent young starting rotation for the Marlins, alongside Josh Johnson, Chris Volstad and Ricky Nolasco. He recorded his first complete game and shutout since his rookie year. He led the team in both starts (32) and innings pitched (195) as Johnson was shut down early in a preventive move.
Early in the 2011 season, Sanchez twice came close to recording a second career no-hitter. On April 22, he kept the Colorado Rockies hitless until the 9th inning, when Dexter Fowler singled, but still recorded a one-hitter in a 4-1 win. On May 8, he stymied the Washington Nationals' bats until the 7th, which Laynce Nix led off with a single. He left the game having given up only two hits in 7 innings and got credit for an 8-0 win. He did it again on September 10th, when he pitched another one-hitter over the Pittsburgh Pirates, beating them 3-0. He recorded 11 strikeouts on the night, although the hit came early, courtesy of a 2nd-inning double by Neil Walker, erasing any thoughts of another no-no. The win moved Anibal to 8-7 on the year. He finished the season 8-9, a record that belied how well he pitched, as he was on the mound for 196 1/3 innings, with a 3.67 ERA and struck out 202 batters.
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 200 Strikeouts Seasons: 1 (2011)
