When discussing the Washington Nationals' starting pitching the discussion invariably centers primarily on the duo of Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg and to a lesser extent Patrick Corbin. But veteran pitcher Anibal Sanchez was an afterthought even when named the Game 1 starter in the NLCS against the St. Louis Cardinals.
After tonight, however, Anibal Sanchez is no longer an afterthought. Sanchez threw 7 2/3 innings of no-hit ball against the Cardinals en route to a 2-0 win to take an early lead in the NLCS. The only hit Sanchez allowed was to pinch hitter Jose Martinez. Sean Doolittle retired the final four hitters. The Nats' offense was confined to a double by catcher Yan Gomes in the 2nd and a single by NLDS hero Howie Kendrick in the 7th.
But the story of the night is Sanchez who has truly experienced a renaissance. In 2013, Sanchez led the AL in ERA (2.57) with the Detroit Tigers. But by 2015 Sanchez led the AL in home runs while recording an ERA of 4.99. In 2016 and 2017, Sanchez logged an ERA of 5.87 and 6.41, respectively. His career appeared over. Sanchez, however, had other ideas.
The Atlanta Braves gave him a shot in 2018 and his ERA fell to 2.83 with the NL East champs. This earned him a two year deal with the Nats. Although his ERA went up a run to 3.85, his 11 wins were his most since 2013. At 35, Sanchez might not be an ace. But if continues to pitch at this level he could earn himself a most unexpected NLCS MVP trophy.
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