We've got 8 insane facts to help you wrap your head around Gary Sanchez's mind-bending season
Unless you've spent the past couple of months under a rock which was flung into outer space and promptly swallowed by Iggy Iguana, you no doubt know about Yankees catcher and rookie demigod
Notice we didn't say, "Gary Sanchez hits home runs frequently, while also doing many other things." That would be inaccurate. Sanchez hits home runs, all day, every day, and Wednesday was no different: He blasted homers No. 18 and 19 during New York's 11-5 win against the Rays, finishing the night 3-for-4 with a walk and five RBIs.
So, before the collective force of Sanchez's dingers collapses our universe into a black hole, it's time to appreciate his historic start with eight mind-blowing facts -- and all the GIFs your heart desires.
1. Literally no one has reached 19 homers faster
Hitting 19 homers in a season is an admirable achievement for any Major Leaguer. Sanchez checked that box on Wednesday ... in his 43rd game of the season, and just the 45th of his big league career. If that sounds like an incredible pace, well, it is: Those 19 dingers are the most ever hit by a player in his first 45 games.
2. 7,727 feet of homers
Yes, you read that correctly: Sanchez's homers have traveled nearly a mile and a half. To put that into perspective, you could stack six Empire State Buildings one on top of the other ... and still have a couple football fields left over.
3. He's hitting dingers at a positively Bondsian rate
Sanchez has hit his 19 homers over 166 at-bats. According to our highly advanced calculations, that comes out to a home run every 8.7 ABs or so. For comparison, Milwaukee's
Gary Sanchez HR per at-bat rate in 2016: 1 every 8.7 AB
— Katie Sharp (@ktsharp) September 22, 2016
Babe Ruth HR per at-bat rate in 1927: 1 every 9.0 AB
4. He's already arguably the best rookie in baseball
You'd think it would be hard for someone who's only played a little more than a quarter of a season to enter himself into the AL Rookie of the Year race. Clearly, though, you haven't been paying attention to the above dingers: Sanchez is already in a tie for fifth on the rookie home run leaderboard, and he still has 11 games to catch
5. He's in rarefied offensive air among catchers ... after 43 games
Generally speaking, catchers are better known for their glove than their bat. That's what made guys like Mike Piazza so remarkable. Sanchez's 19 homers aren't just good, they're historically good -- he's already tied Randy Hundley for 10th on the all-time list among rookie catchers. Have we mentioned he's only played 43 games this season?
6. He leads the league in home runs nearly hit while being intentionally walked
This is not an exaggeration:
7. He's on pace for a truly staggering number of dingers
We should preface this by saying that this is all rampant speculation, however: Over a full season, Sanchez is on pace for 71 homers. At that rate, he would break Barry Bonds' career home run record at some point during his eleventh season. In sum:
8. He's out-hitting entire teams
The Giants have had themselves a very solid season -- entering play on Wednesday, they found themselves tied with the Mets atop the NL Wild Card standings. And yet, Gary Sanchez has managed to hit more home runs over 43 games than any Giant this season. Just let him go full Bugs Bunny already, is what we're saying.
