Gary Sanchez played for the New York Yankees from 2015 to 2021.
He was the Yanks’ catcher/designated hitter until he was traded to the Minnesota Twins ahead of the 2022 campaign.
On the other hand, relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman played for the Yanks in 2016 and then from 2017 to 2022.
Right now, Sanchez plays for the Milwaukee Brewers and Chapman is a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Fate put them together in a high-leverage spot on Thursday afternoon.
Chapman was pitching the top of the eighth with the Pirates up, 5-4.
The Brewers had a man on second base, but Chapman had Sanchez on a 0-2 count.
With two outs on the scoreboard, Chapman was close to taking care of the inning.
He proceeded to throw a 100-mph fastball up and away, out of the strike zone.
Sanchez, however, was expecting it and put on a beautiful swing to drive the pitch to deep right field, via FOX Sports: MLB.
Gary Sánchez with a pinch hit 2-run homer off Aroldis Chapman to give the Brewers the lead!
(via @MLB)pic.com/ERVuL1jcPF
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX)April 25, 2024
It cleared the fence, and the Brewers were now leading, 6-5.
Milwaukee would score another run and took the game with a 7-5 score.
That eighth inning battle between the former Yankees stars was the one that decided the game in favor of Milwaukee.
Both of them were really productive in the Bronx, but the Yankees got rid of them due to decline and potential cost.
They are in the process of getting their careers back on track, and can still have intense battles in high-leverage spots.
This particular one saw Sanchez come out on top in impressive fashion, displaying his prodigious power against a former teammate.
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