Cristopher Sanchez Is Quietly Becoming the Best Pitcher in Baseball as Scoreless Streak Reaches 37.2 Innings
Cristopher Sanchez has quietly emerged as the best pitcher in baseball, and the numbers are starting to feel historic. The Philadelphia Phillies left-hander extended his scoreless innings streak to 37.2 innings after a Thursday outing against the Cleveland Guardians, putting him within shouting distance of a franchise record that has stood for over a century.
The last time Sanchez gave up a run was April 30, in the second inning of his start against the San Francisco Giants. That is nearly four full weeks without surrendering a single earned run. In the modern era of advanced offenses and juiced bats, that is an absurd accomplishment.
To put it in context, Sanchez now owns the longest scoreless innings streak by a Phillies pitcher in the Live Ball Era. The only Philadelphia pitcher with a longer run in franchise history is Grover Cleveland Alexander, who threw 41 consecutive scoreless innings in 1911. Sanchez needs just 3.2 more scoreless innings to break that mark. He projects to start the series finale against the San Diego Padres on May 27.
The dominance has been across the board. Sanchez has four consecutive starts with seven innings pitched and zero runs allowed. He is the only Philadelphia pitcher to do that since Alexander. Thursday’s outing was eight scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts. The stuff has been overwhelming. The control has been ridiculous. Hitters have looked uncomfortable from the first pitch to the last.
The Cy Young conversation is officially open. Sanchez has the lowest ERA in baseball. He has thrown more innings than most of his closest competitors. He has stayed healthy. He is doing it for one of the best teams in the National League. The case writes itself.
What is wild is that Sanchez is not a strikeout artist in the classic sense. He pitches to contact. He uses a heavy sinker that runs in on right-handers and a changeup that is one of the best in the game. He gets ground balls. He limits hard contact. And when he needs the strikeout, he can still go get it, as Cleveland learned on Thursday.
The Phillies are leaning hard on him. The offense has been inconsistent. The bullpen has had its rough patches. Sanchez has been the steady force every fifth day. When he pitches, Philadelphia has a chance to win every time.
The catch is that the Phillies are not always winning behind him. Cleveland walked off Thursday with a 1-0 win on a late Manzardo home run off the bullpen. Sanchez was robbed of a deserved victory in a historic outing. That is the team-context cost of being on a roster that does not always cash in on great starts. Sanchez has handled the losses with the same calm as the wins.
The Phillies clubhouse has rallied around him. Manager Rob Thomson has talked about Sanchez’s mound presence and his work ethic. Teammates have praised his preparation. The story has all the markings of a breakout year that defines his career.
The streak goes next on May 27 in San Diego. Padres lineup, hitter-friendly park, late-May warmth. The pressure is going to climb. So is the spotlight. Sanchez is now one of the most-watched pitchers in the sport. The pitching world is paying attention. The Cy Young race has its early leader. The Phillies have their ace. Cristopher Sanchez has arrived.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
