When Yankees' Gary Sanchez took a dig at Jose Altuve for refusing to take off his jersey after hitting a walk-off home run in the 2019 playoffs

Former New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez once took a sly dig at Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve for refusing to take off his jersey to celebrate a walk-off home run.

"Gary Sanchez also mocked José Altuve after hitting a home run" - Talkin' Yanks, Twitter

Altuve homered against the Yankees in the 2019 American League Championship Series, which Houston incidentally won. His refusal to take off his jersey in celebration sparked speculation that Altuve was wearing a buzzer that alerted him to where and what the pitcher was pitching.

Referring to the incident in a conversation with reporters in 2020, Gary Sanchez said he’d rip all his clothes off if he ever hit a homer or took his team to the World Series. The comment was perceived to be a dig at Altuve.

“I can tell you that if I hit a homer and I get my team to the World Series, they can rip off my pants. Everything. They can rip everything off,” Sanchez said.

“Gary Sanchez has nothing to hide https://trib.al/CSBXUXj” - Sports Illustrated, Twitter

When asked if he thought that Altuve was wearing a device while batting, Sanchez said:

“He stayed back pretty well on that pitch. But they asked (Altuve), ‘What were you looking for in that at-bat?’ And he said he was looking for an off-speed. I don’t know. It’s a good question.”

When asked if he thought the New York Yankees were cheated out of a pennant, Sanchez said:

“It’s hard to say, but at the same time, if you analyze the advantage, I can tell you that as a hitter, if I know something is coming, I’m going to have a higher percentage of being more successful.”

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Gary Sanchez is a 2-time MLB All-Star

Gary Sanchez made his full MLB debut with the New York Yankees in 2015. He broke onto the scene with his record-breaking rookie campaign in 2016, being named the American League's Rookie of the Month and Player of the Month in August that year.

Sanchez was named an All-Star twice in his career and won the Silver Slugger award once.

“Happy 30th birthday to former New York Yankee and Minnesota Twin, catcher and DH Gary Sanchez!! 2x All-Star. Silver Slugger Award winner in 2017 #MLB #Yankees #Twins” - Sportskeeda Baseball, Twitter

Sanchez is the fastest catcher in MLB history to hit 100 home runs.