Sanchez Takes NL Batting title

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Sanchez takes NL batting title in win

Pirates third baseman wraps up season with .344 mark

(by Ed Eagle | MLB.com)

PITTSBURGH -- Introducing the 2006 National League batting champion, Freddy Sanchez.

Sanchez went 2-for-4 on Sunday in the Pirates' season-ending 1-0 win over the Reds at PNC Park to secure the first batting title by a Bucs hitter since Bill Madlock in 1983.

"It was kind of like a perfect day. I was able to get it and we won," said Sanchez. "Who would have thought that I'd even be in this situation at the beginning of the year?"

Considering that Sanchez began the year as a bench player who went on to garner the most write-in votes for the NL All-Star team, and play in the Midsummer Classic at his home park, could Sanchez's storybook season have ended any other way?

Well, maybe.

Sanchez began the day with a three-point lead in the batting race over Florida's Miguel Cabrera, and the Bucs infielder admitted he was beginning to feel the heat Saturday night when he went 0-for-4.

"[saturday] night in that batter's box was probably the most pressure I have felt in a long time," said Sanchez. "Today, I just tried to relax up there."

The new approach worked.

As many people in the crowd of 25,004 stood on their feet, waved "Go Freddy Go" placards and chanted "Freddy! Freddy!" at the top of their lungs, Sanchez stepped to the plate in the first inning and promptly gave the fans what they wanted to see by lining an 0-2 pitch from Reds starter Matt Belisle into left field for a single. It led to the first of many standing ovations Sanchez received throughout the afternoon.

"It took a load off," Sanchez said of his first hit. "I wasn't thinking about [the batting title] all year. And then you come down to the last couple of games -- whether you want to think about it or not, there is still that pressure and stress on you that you don't want and don't need. But after that first hit, I kind of relaxed a little bit."

Sanchez made it 2-for-2 in the fourth inning when his hard-hit ground ball deflected off the glove of diving Reds second baseman Brendan Harris for his 200th hit. After another round of "Freddy! Freddy!" chants, Sanchez tipped his hat to the crowd as he stood on first base.

"[The fans] have been great all year, especially with me at the All-Star Game," said Sanchez. "It kind of felt like that when I got on first after my second hit. It was the same feeling. There was a lot of relief, excitement and joy."

Sanchez lined out to second base in the sixth inning and flew out to center field in the eighth to finish the year with a .344 average, the highest by a Pirates player since Roberto Clemente batted .345 in 1969.

Cabrera, meanwhile, went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts against the Phillies while batting leadoff for the first time in his career.

Sanchez became the 10th Pirates player to win a batting crown since 1900. In all, Sanchez (2006), Madlock (1981 and '83), Dave Parker (1977, '78), Clemente (1961, '64, '65, '67), Matty Alou (1966), D i c k Groat (1960), Debs Garms (1940), Paul Waner (1927, '34, '36), Arky Vaughan (1935), Honus Wagner (1900, '03, '04, '06, '07, '08, '09, '11) and Ginger Beaumont (1902) have combined to give Pittsburgh 25 batting titles, the most of any Major League team.

"Who would have thought that I'd even be in this situation at the beginning of the year? To be up there with Roberto Clemente, Bill Madlock and all of those guys is truly an honor," Sanchez said.

His coaches and teammates might have been happier to see Sanchez win the batting title than Sanchez himself.

"As the manager of the club, I want to make sure that everyone realizes that the 2006 National League batting champion is as unselfish a player in a team concept as you could possibly find," said Bucs skipper Jim Tracy.

"Freddy Sanchez really embodies what we want to see the Pittsburgh Pirates be all about."

Shortstop Jack Wilson, who was the last Pirates player to collect 200 hits in a season, has known Sanchez since childhood and is Sanchez's best friend on the team. Wilson gave Sanchez a big hug on the field after handing him his cap and glove between the fourth and fifth innings.

"He deserves everything he gets," said Wilson. "I was just so proud. I said, 'We're in the record books together. Look at where we came from, from high school to now.'"

After the game, the Pirates honored Sanchez by holding an on-field presentation and displaying some of Sanchez's season highlights on the scoreboard. The team also presented Sanchez with a Rolex watch.

The Pirates ended their season with a two-game winning streak thanks in large part to southpaw Shane Youman. In his third big-league start, Youman blanked the Reds on four hits and one walk in seven shutout innings.

"Today was one of those days where I felt really good, like I have been all year long," said Youman. "We are all leaving with a good taste in our mouths. Hopefully it will carry over to next year."

Youman came up short in his quest for a first win, however, as the Bucs offense was not able to put the only run of the game on the board until Xavier Nady scored Jason Bay from second base with a two-out single in the eighth inning.

Rookie Matt Capps retired the lone batter he faced in the eighth to improve to 9-1. Salomon Torres tossed a scoreless ninth inning for his 12th save.

Torres' 94th appearance of the season tied a club record set by Kent Tekulve in 1979. Only Mike Marshall, who pitched in 106 games with Los Angeles in 1974, has appeared in more games in one season in big-league history.

"It was a team effort," said Torres. "So many things had to go right for me to be in this position and find my name along with Teke's."

Despite losing eight of their final 10 games, the Pirates went 37-35 after the All-Star break to post their first winning second half since 1992. The Bucs also posted their first winning record at PNC Park (43-38).

"I'm extremely proud of this team and the job that they did in the second half of the season," said Tracy. "There is a growth process over 162 games to be extremely proud of and something definitely big-time for us to build off of.

"When you are 30-60 and you come back from an All-Star break, it could have been very, very easy to play out the string."