San Diego Padres get revenge game from Gary Sanchez when they needed it most

San Diego Padres catcher Gary Sanchez
San Diego Padres catcher Gary Sanchez / Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

After being released by the San Francisco Giants in early May, Thursday's game inside Oracle Park had to feel good for San Diego Padres catcher Gary Sanchez.

Sure, any time you can have a big day against a team that didn't think enough of you to call you up from Triple-A (despite some dismal statistics) can be fulfilling. But when you have that big day against your former franchise and you do it at a time when your current team needs it the most? Well, that's just the icing on the cake.

San Diego Padres get revenge game from Gary Sanchez against San Francisco Giants at perfect time

Sanchez went 3-for-5 on the afternoon with a three-run blast to help the Padres snap a three-game losing skid and avoid being swept out of San Francisco. The big day from Sanchez was part of a big day from the San Diego offense, breaking double-digits in scoring for just the third time this month and first since June 7 in a 10-0 win over the Giants.

The first-inning bomb from Sanchez set the tone for the day and also helped the 30-year-old catcher/designated hitter snap out of a recent cold streak that had not seen him post a single hit in a game since June 13.

Coming into Thursday, Sanchez had slashed just .172/.238/.466 in 63 plate appearances this month. However, five of his 10 hits had been home runs, bringing to light one of the knocks on Sanchez before his stint in San Diego (hits for low average, but at least hits home runs).

Sanchez joined Juan Soto and Manny Machado as Padres in the heart of the order to rack up multiple hits on Thursday. The Padres were even 5-for-10 with runners in scoring position, showing what this offense can actually do if it comes through when the at-bats matter most.

Gary was indeed Scary on Thursday, and it's just what the Padres needed.

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