Of all the destinations in Major League Baseball, Milwaukee isn’t necessarily viewed as a place that former New York Yankees go after their time in the Bronx is over.
It’s certainly a different vibe, from the Big Apple to Midwest hospitality — for many a better vibe, to be fair, but definitely different.
That’s what made one name stand out all season long for the Brewers, a guy who had begun his career as a phenom in pinstripes before turning into a little bit of a journeyman.
For those who haven’t deduced the answer already, it’s Gary Sanchez.
Sanchez is a member of the Brewers, and he had a much better Wednesday night than the Yankees did.
Gary Sanchez’s Good Night
Sanchez didn’t even play on Wednesday night, but he did party, as shown atop this article.
The Brewers were playing Game 4 of the NLDS in San Diego against the Padres and entered with a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series.
Milwaukee won the game, clinching their advancement to the NLCS, where they’ll take on the Dodgers.
Sanchez didn’t get into the contest, as he fills a backup catcher role behind William Contreras as well as getting some DH or first base duties against left-handed pitchers.
But all told, it’s been a quality year for Sanchez, who seems at home on the smaller-market team that has continued to defy expectations in recent seasons.
Yankees Bad Night
Of course, many reading this already also know that the Yankees lost to the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 3 of the ALDS to get eliminated by a three-game sweep in that series.
New York’s season ended just hours before the Brewers’ season continued, and so the former Yankees catcher had a much better evening than the guys currently wearing the pinstripes.
Ironically, the Yankees had miserable performance out of their catchers in 2026, but Sanchez has been long gone, so it’s not to say he would’ve been the solution.
Multiple times in the past couple years, though, Sanchez has been available — he’s moved from the Twins to Orioles to Brewers.
The Yankees have never shown an interest in bringing him back, though, and Gary seems just fine in Milwaukee.
More Playoffs
The best part of Wednesday night for Sanchez, the part that he and his Brewers get that his former team doesn’t, is that there’s more baseball to play.
There’s no telling exactly how much Sanchez will see the field in the NLCS (or potentially in the World Series). There’ll likely be a few matchup spots where his power is called upon to make a difference.
In some ways, it’ll be what those in the Bronx envisioned long ago when he was a top-tier catching prospect, that he’d be getting an opportunity to come up big in October.
One big difference, though: If those chances come this month, they’ll be in a Brewers uniform.
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