PHILADELPHIA — Cristopher Sánchez thought it was over as he walked from the mound to the dugout at Citizens Bank Park. The fans who sat through a scoreless game played in chilly and rainy conditions recognized the moment. On the scoreboard, it acknowledged Sánchez’s place in Phillies history: He had passed Cliff Lee to author the second-longest scoreless streak since the current mound distance was set in 1893.
“I had a feeling,” Sánchez said through a team interpreter.
Interim manager Don Mattingly shook his starter’s hand. Sánchez has not allowed a run in 37 2/3 innings, the longest streak for a Phillies pitcher since 1911. They still lost the game, 1-0, because the lineup has produced a total of five runs during this three-game losing streak that has nudged the Phillies (25-26) back under .500.
Doubts about the Phillies will linger, especially as they face a higher-caliber opponent; they have two more games (weather permitting) against the Cleveland Guardians before a California trip to see the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers.
Right now, at least, the Phillies can make a convincing argument they possess the best pitcher in baseball.
“I’ve never felt like this,” Sánchez said. “The way that the mechanics are feeling and the way my body is feeling, I don’t think it’s something I’ve felt like before. I feel grateful.”
Sánchez’s outing, on the surface level, was impressive. He followed a shutout in Pittsburgh with eight innings in which Cleveland never put a runner in scoring position. He has a 1.62 ERA. He is a superstar.
But there was something deeper about his latest work, the proof that Sánchez is tapping into another level that did not seem possible. His transformation from fringe big-league starter into one of the dominant lefties in the sport has been powered by an elite changeup paired with a precise sinker. He’s toyed with a third pitch — a slider, then a cutter, then a refined slider in 2026 with more bite.
He fired more sliders (31) in Friday night’s start than he had in any other start. He smiled afterward when asked about the pitch.
“I feel great about it,” Sánchez said. “It’s more feeling proud of myself because of the work that we put in during the offseason on this pitch specifically. The results are showing now, so it’s something to feel really good about.”
Two of Sánchez’s strikeouts were on the slider. Guardians batters swung at the slider 13 times. They whiffed at it nine times. Those nine whiffs were the most he’s had in an outing on the slider. He threw it almost equally to right- and left-handed hitters. Cleveland put it in play twice for easy outs. It’s a pitch he had in his back pocket for most of the season; opponents had hit .276 with a .414 slugging percentage on it. But a lot of that damage was done in April.
Now, Sánchez has a new weapon he trusts.
“It’s incredible to watch,” Bryce Harper said. “It’s a lot of fun. He’s a pitcher, but he’s got A-plus stuff on all of his pitches. Nowadays, that’s a little rare, right? Usually it’s A-plus stuff with not as much strikes. So it’s really impressive.”
Before the game, former Phillies mainstay Rhys Hoskins reflected on the Sánchez he remembered, a guy who was “trying to throw strikes, really, right?” That feels like forever ago.
“Now this guy seemingly leads all of the big leagues in doing that — throwing strikes,” Hoskins said. “I mean, I’m not surprised just because of the way that he worked. So raw when we first got him, even in his first couple stints here in the big leagues. It’s cool to see how he’s trusted the people around him to get the product that you’re seeing. Obviously, the frame and stuff speaks for itself, but man, that work ethic’s going to carry him a long way.”
Sánchez threw the slider more than his trademark changeup Friday. He didn’t have his best command at times during the eight scoreless innings, but he still needed only 96 pitches to complete them. He could have kept going, but he threw 108 pitches Saturday in his previous outing. There was no need to push it in late May.
Jhoan Duran surrendered his first home run of the season when pinch hitter Kyle Manzardo drove a sprinkler to the opposite field. That was that. It was the first time in Cleveland franchise history (since 1901) the team won a game 1-0 with the run coming on a pinch-hit home run, per the Elias Sports Bureau. The Phillies had wasted a pristine Sánchez outing.
“He’s awesome,” Duran said. “He’s amazing. He’s the best pitcher right now. I feel really bad right now because I want to do the best I can for him to win after an outing like that.”
“I’ve never felt like this,” said Cristopher Sánchez, after another gem that extended his scoreless streak to 37 2/3 innings. (Kyle Ross / Imagn Images)
Sánchez now holds the third-longest scoreless streak by a left-handed pitcher since 1961, behind Clayton Kershaw (41 innings in 2014) and Kenny Rogers (39 innings in 1995).
He’ll have a chance in his next start, scheduled for Wednesday in San Diego, to surpass Grover Alexander for the Phillies’ record. “Old Pete” once twirled 41 consecutive scoreless innings in 1911. For the Phillies, the only downside is Sánchez will pitch just once during that California trip.
They had won his previous four starts. And, while it’s nice to bask in the lefty’s ascension, the pestering concerns about the lineup might be enough to outweigh everything else. Trea Turner won’t be moved out of the leadoff spot, Mattingly said. Adolis García, a tremendous right fielder, now has a .596 OPS. J.T. Realmuto, the 35-year-old catcher, has a .566 OPS. Harper had the Phillies’ only extra-base hit, a double in the first inning, as Gavin Williams (11 strikeouts in eight innings) and Cade Smith blanked them.
It took 2 hours, 5 minutes. It always feels like the Phillies have a chance when Sánchez pitches. That’s something. Maybe.
“Obviously, when you get a game like that,” Mattingly said, “you feel like you’re going to win.”
