Aníbal Alejandro Sánchez Jr. (Spanish: [aˈniβal ˈsantʃes]; born February 27, 1984) was a Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher. He began playing in Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2006 with the Florida Marlins. He also played for the Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, and Washington Nationals. On September 6, 2006, during his 13th career start in the major leagues, Sánchez pitched a no-hitter against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Career
Aníbal Sánchez joined the Boston Red Sox as an international free agent in 2001. He played in the Venezuelan Summer League for two seasons before suffering an elbow injury that required surgery. The injury caused him to miss the entire 2003 season.
In 2004, he returned to pitching and made his debut in the United States with the short-season Single-A Lowell Spinners. During 15 starts, Sánchez had a 3–4 record and a 1.77 earned run average (ERA). By the end of the year, he was considered one of Boston’s top pitching prospects. After the 2004 season, Baseball America ranked Sánchez as Boston’s fifth-best prospect, behind shortstop Hanley Ramírez, outfielder Brandon Moss, and pitchers Jonathan Papelbon and Jon Lester. By 2006, Ramírez, Papelbon, and Lester had played in the majors, while Moss was named the most valuable player for the Portland Sea Dogs in 2006.
In 2005, Sánchez began the season with Boston’s High-A affiliate in Wilmington. He had a 6–1 record and a 2.40 ERA, earned a spot in the All-Star Futures Game, and was named to the Carolina League All-Star team. He was then promoted to Double-A Portland Sea Dogs. Sánchez performed well early in the season but struggled later, raising concerns about his durability. He finished the year with a 3.45 ERA over 11 starts, remaining one of the youngest players in his league at 21 years old.
At the end of the 2005 season, Boston traded Sánchez along with Hanley Ramírez, Jesús Delgado, and Harvey García to the Florida Marlins. This trade also brought Josh Beckett, Guillermo Mota, and Mike Lowell to the Red Sox. The Marlins also traded other star players, including Carlos Delgado, Juan Pierre, Paul Lo Duca, and Luis Castillo, for minor-league prospects. Baseball America ranked Sánchez third in the Marlins system (after Jeremy Hermida and Ramirez) and 40th overall in the major leagues at the start of the 2006 season.
In 2006, the Marlins started six rookies in their Opening Day lineup but sent Sánchez back to Class AA to play with the Carolina Mudcats. He made 15 starts for the Mudcats, posting a 3–6 record and a 3.15 ERA. While with Carolina, he pitched two complete games, one of which was a seven-hit shutout.
On June 25, Sánchez was called up to the majors to start the second half of a doubleheader against the Yankees. He pitched 5 2⁄3 innings, allowing seven hits but no runs. His team’s bullpen then shut out the Yankees, winning 5–0. This made Sánchez the second visiting starter in the past decade to win his major league debut at Yankee Stadium. On July 14, Sánchez defeated Houston Astros pitcher Roger Clemens, who had made his MLB debut when Sánchez was three months old.
On September 6, 2006, Sánchez no-hit the Arizona Diamondbacks 2–0 at Dolphin Stadium. He walked four batters and struck out six, throwing 103 pitches. The Marlins used 21 rookies that season, and six of them played in Sánchez’s no-hitter, setting a record for the most rookies on a winning team in a no-hitter. This was the first no-hitter in the majors since Randy Johnson’s perfect game in 2004.
On September 27, Sánchez earned his tenth win against the Cincinnati Reds, joining teammates Josh Johnson, Scott Olsen, and Ricky Nolasco as the first group of four rookie teammates in MLB history to each record ten or more wins in their rookie seasons. With Sánchez’s tenth win, the Marlins had their first set of five pitchers with ten or more wins in franchise history. He finished the season with a 10–3 record and a 2.83 ERA in 18 major-league games (17 starts).
Before a game against the Philadelphia Phillies on September 30, the Marlins gave Sánchez the pitching rubber and home plate from his no-hitter. The Miami-Dade County Office of the Mayor and Board of County Commissioners officially named September 30, 2006, Aníbal Sánchez Day.
Sánchez faced shoulder problems during spring training but started the 2007 season with the Marlins, going 2–1 with a 4.80 ERA in six starts. When reliever Jorge Julio returned from the disabled list on May 4, the Marlins sent Sánchez to Class AAA Albuquerque, citing his struggles with control. On June 21, it was reported that his season was over after surgery to repair a tear in his labrum.
On July 31, 2008, Sánchez returned to the majors after nearly 15 months away, pitching 5 2⁄3 innings against the Colorado Rockies. He gave up two runs on six hits and struck out four, helping the Marlins win 12–2.
In 2009, Sánchez made 16 starts and improved his stats, finishing with a 3.87 ERA and his lowest WHIP and opponent’s batting average since his rookie year.
In 2010, Sánchez completed a full season as the only Marlins’ starter to stay in the rotation all year. He set a career high with 13 wins, a 3.55 ERA, and 195 innings pitched.
On April 22, 2011, Sánchez took a no-hitter into the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies but gave up a hit to Dexter Fowler. He finished the game for his fourth career complete game. Three starts later, he took another no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals but lost it. Sánchez also threw a complete game on May 26 against the San Francisco Giants, a 1–0 win that gave him his third career shutout. In early September, he threw a one-hitter against the Pittsburgh Pirates, his fourth career shutout and second of the season. After starting the season 6–2, a lack of run support and injuries to his team led to a 2–7 finish for the season.
In 2012, Sánchez made 19 starts for the Miami Marlins, compiling a 5–7 record with a 3.94 ERA. On July 23, 2012, he was traded to the Detroit Tigers along with Omar Infante for Jacob Turner, Rob Brantly, Brian Flynn, and a draft pick. In 12 starts for the Tigers, he went 4–6 with a 3.74 ERA. The Tigers won the AL Central division, giving Sánchez his first chance to play in the postseason.
In the 2012 ALDS against the Oakland Athletics, Sánchez started Game 3 but
Pitching style
Sánchez throws five different types of pitches, giving him many options to use against both right-handed and left-handed hitters. He throws a four-seam fastball that travels 88–94 mph, a two-seam sinker with similar speed, a slider that moves at mid-80s mph, a changeup that drops sharply at 79–85 mph, and sometimes a curveball that moves at mid- to upper-70s mph. Teammates Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander have both said in interviews that Sánchez throws two different changeups: one that moves at 79–85 mph and another that is slower, moving at mid-60s to low-70s mph, which they call the "butterfly pitch." Aníbal is known for keeping hitters guessing by being willing to throw any pitch at any time during an at-bat. Baseball writer Mike Axisa wrote in 2013, "Rotation teammates Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander overpower hitters. Sánchez keeps them guessing."