Anibal Sanchez 1-Hits Rockies; Michael Young Raking for Rangers

Players of the Day for Friday, April 22, 2011

American League

Michael Young

Michael Young is one of the best pure hitters in the game and proof of that has been his red-hot start to the 2011 season. He's batting .359, good for third in the AL and he's helped the Texas Rangers to first place in the AL West.

After losing six of their last eight and briefly giving up the division lead, Young and his Ranger teammates were happy to see the Royals visiting for a three-game series on Friday, and welcomed them to the Lone Star state with a five home run, 15 hit, 11-6 beating.

Young was not one of the five Rangers who homered, but he did get things started by singling in Ian Kinsler in the first and tripling him home in the second and scoring as the Rangers built a 5-0 lead.

Another single put Young at 3-for-5 for the night and gave him 28 hits, two behind league leader Alex Gordon, who went 2-for-4 in the same game. Meanwhile, the Angles lost to Boston, 4-3, and the Rangers assumed a 1/2 game lead.

Young won the AL batting championship in 2005 and also led the league in hits that season with 221.

National League

The Florida Marlins won their 4th straight game and kept pressure on the Phillies in the NL East, remaining 1/2 game behind the division leader.

Anibal Sanchez

Anibal Sanchez took a no-hitter into the ninth inning, spoiled on the first pitch to Dexter Fowler, who snapped a single into right field. Fowler had also walked to lead off the game, took second on a passed ball, moved to third on a ground out and scored when Gaby Sanchez threw errantly on Troy Tulowitzki's grounder.

The run was unearned, but gave the Rockies a short-lived 1-0 lead. Little did anyone know that it would be all they would get.

Sanchez cruised through the Rockies' lineup, at one point getting 12 straight outs, including four consecutive strikeouts. He finished allowing only Fowler's ninth inning single and three walks while fanning nine in the 4-1 Florida win.

Sanchez tossed a no-hitter last season, and flirted with another Friday. He is 1-1 with a 3.55 ERA in four starts this season.