Anibal Sanchez Makes History With Four Strikeouts In First Inning Of ALCS
BOSTON (CBS) – Baseball has been around for a while, yet there's always something that happens in the course of a game that never or rarely has had happened before.
It took of all of one inning for that moment to come on Saturday night.
In the first inning of Game 1 of the ALCS between the Red Sox and Tigers, Anibal Sanchez recorded four strikeouts.
It was something that in the history of postseason baseball had happened just once, when Orval Overall recorded four strikeouts in the 1908 World Series. For some perspective, that was the last time the Cubs won the World Series, so you know this is the type of occurrence that doesn't happen all too often.
Sanchez struck out Jacoby Ellsbury to begin the inning before getting Shane Victorino to chase a pitch in the dirt for strike three. However, the ball didn't bounce quite like catcher Alex Avila anticipated, and the ball went through his legs and all the way to the backstop, allowing Victorino to reach base.
After Sanchez walked Dustin Pedroia, he then appeared to have walked David Ortiz. However, third base umpire Alfonso Marquez ruled that Ortiz had swung on an appeal to third base.
Sanchez then got Mike Napoli to strike out swinging to retire the side.
Not only was it just the second time a pitcher has recorded four strikeouts in one postseason, but it was also the first time any Tigers pitcher had accomplished the feat.
