Sanchez hits his way to National League crown

Two hits bring .344 average, too much for Cabrera
Monday, October 02, 2006
By Paul Meyer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

More coverage:
Slideshow: Freddy Sanchez, 2006 National League Batting Champion
Bright sides come up at the end for Pirates

The Pirates yesterday stood and applauded a player after a game for the second consecutive Sunday.

Last week it was San Diego's Trevor Hoffman who broke the record for saves. This time, though, the player was one of their own.

The object of their affection yesterday was Freddy Sanchez, who with two hits not only reached the 200-hit mark for the season but who also won the National League batting championship, becoming the first Pirates player to do that since Bill Madlock in 1983.

"It's just been a great day for him," said Jack Wilson, who had 201 hits two seasons ago. "The last couple of months watching him do what he does. ... I enjoyed watching him more than the year I had my 200 hits. He's the epitome of consistency for a major-league hitter."

Sanchez, who didn't become a Pirates regular until early May, finished with a .344 batting average, beating Florida Marlins third baseman Miguel Cabrera by five percentage points.

Cabrera, who began the day three points behind Sanchez, batted leadoff yesterday rather than in his customary third spot in an attempt by the Marlins to get him as many at-bats as possible.
But after striking out in his first two at-bats, Cabrera left the game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Pirates were aware Cabrera was done, but there was no thought of removing Sanchez from their game even though -- by getting hits in his first two at-bats -- he had virtually clinched the title.

"I didn't talk to [manager Jim] Tracy, and Tracy didn't talk to me," Sanchez said of leaving early in what became a 1-0 Pirates victory against the Cincinnati Reds. "It felt great to finish the game."

Against the background of black-and-gold placards urging him to "Go Freddy Go" and in front of a highly supportive crowd, Sanchez began his historic day by lining a single into left field on an 0-2 pitch from Matt Belisle in the first inning.

"That first hit took a load off," Sanchez said. "There was a lot of relief."

He singled again in the fourth inning on an 0-1 pitch from Belisle.

This time he hit a hard ground ball to the left of second baseman Brendan Harris, who made a diving attempt but couldn't field the ball cleanly. Official scorer Bob Webb immediately ruled the play a hit.

That was the 200th hit for Sanchez, who received a hug from Wilson when the two took the field for the fifth inning.

"I'm proud of you," Wilson told Sanchez. "We're in the history books with the 200 hits. Pretty cool from where we've come."

Wilson, then a second baseman, and Sanchez, then a shortstop, played together on a summer league team in California just before they became seniors at different high schools.
Sanchez lined to second in the sixth inning and popped to short center field in the eighth.

Sanchez, who started only seven of the Pirates' first 27 games, assumed the batting lead July 3 and held it for all but one day the rest of the season.

"Freddy Sanchez really embodies what we as an organization want this franchise to be," Tracy said. "He has all the attributes of a winning player -- personality, hard work and a very competitive nature.

"He's a tremendous over-achiever -- a very talented over-achiever. He can really hit."

Sanchez is the 11th Pirates player to win a league batting title. His is the 25th batting title won by a Pirates player -- the most of any major-league team -- and the organization gave him a watch in honor of the achievement.

His .344 average is the highest for a Pirates player since 1969 when Roberto Clemente hit .345.

"To be up there with all those names -- not just the Pirates but all the names [of batting champions] -- it feels good," Sanchez said. "Who'd have thought at the beginning of the year I'd be in this situation?"

Indeed.

Sanchez, who batted .291 last season, was relegated to utility-player status when the season began because the Pirates had signed free-agent third baseman Joe Randa in the winter.
But when Randa went down with an injured foot in early May, Sanchez became the man.

"For him to be patient and allow things to take their course is a tribute to him as a player and [Sanchez] believing in what he's able to do," Randa said. "I'm sure he was frustrated when they signed me.

"Then we became friends. He understood the process. When I got hurt, there was a door open for him and he walked in. He took advantage of it.

"From that day on, he showed what it takes to go through the ups and downs and learning what scouting reports are doing to him and making the adjustments. Any guy who has success has to make adjustments, and he's done that -- at a fast pace.

"It's been a real pleasure to watch him do what he's done and to be part of it."

Sanchez tried to deflect talk of the batting title in the preceding days and also tried not to think about it.

But he admitted he felt pressure Saturday night on Freddy Sanchez All-Star Bobblehead Night. He went 0 for 4 against Cincinnati's Bronson Arroyo.

"Saturday night was the worst," Sanchez said. "The fans were awesome, but I felt the most nervous, the most pressure. I got out of my game plan. I was trying to force a hit. I wanted so bad to do it for the fans and for the city."

Yesterday, Sanchez tried to relax.

Just before he left the clubhouse for the dugout, he played pingpong in the clubhouse.
"I hadn't played pingpong in I don't know how long," Sanchez said.

Sanchez, a Fantasy Football League fanatic, also paid some attention to his fantasy players during the game yesterday.

"I had somebody keeping me posted," he said, grinning. "I was still focused on the pitcher, but things like that help take your mind off [the batting race]."

Now, Sanchez can think about the batting race -- and his batting championship -- all he wants.

"It really hasn't sunk in yet," he said. "I'll go home and relax for a couple days and have a chance to think back on it. And I'll be like, 'Wow! This is something special.' "