Sanchez's great debut

By JOHN LEMBO
jlembo@bradenton.com

SARASOTA - If Tony Sanchez plays this well when he's nervous, who knows what the kid can accomplish when he's calm?
Pittsburgh's first pick of last year's draft, Sanchez made the most of his first spring training appearance - he threw out Baltimore's Jonathan Tucker trying to steal second in the seventh and homered during his first at-bat in the eighth, helping the Pirates score a 5-3 win over the Orioles on Friday at Ed Smith Stadium.
"I got back there the first inning and I was shaking - my helmet was shaking, my legs were twitching - I didn't want to do anything wrong," he said. "Looking in for signs, forgetting signs, forgetting what pitch to call - good nerves. I embraced them."
Sanchez was so sure Tucker was going to try and steal that he even shared his prediction with home plate umpire Damien Beal.
"(Tucker) goes, and I swear, I gripped (the ball) like a change-up," Sanchez said. "I just threw the ball as hard as I could, and it ended up getting there. It was a rush."
So was his first at-bat. With two out in the eighth, Sanchez, who fell behind in the count 0-2, laced a home run to dead center off Baltimore's Troy Patton, knotting the game at 3.
It was the first live pitching Sanchez had seen in sixth months. And it didn't take long for his home run trot to morph into a sprint.
"I didn't even know how to run the bases - I forgot," he said. "It was a great feeling...When it got over the wall - I'm sure you guys saw my smile.
"Great emotions."
Sanchez said his teammates gave him a great reception when he reached the dugout.
"It was a great - a great night for him," said manager John Russell. "I know he was very excited, so that was outstanding. It was fun to watch.
"He battled, got a good pitch to hit and he caught very well. Again, it's exciting to watch."