The Philadelphia Phillies are getting a generational run from their ace, Cristopher Sanchez. The left-hander fired eight scoreless innings against the Cleveland Guardians at Citizens Bank Park, extending his consecutive scoreless innings streak up to 37.2.
That gives Sanchez the second-longest scoreless streak for a Phillies pitcher since the mounds were moved back to 60 feet and six inches, per MLB researcher Sarah Langs. In his start against the Guardians, he passed four Phillies streaks.
- LHP Cliff Lee: 34 (2011)
- RHP Larry Andersen: 32.2 (1984)
- RHP Turk Farrell: 32.2 (1957-58)
- LHP Ranger Suarez: 32 (2024)
Only Grover Cleveland Alexander has a longer streak, at 41 innings in 1911. Sanchez can set the record with four more scoreless innings in his next start. The left-hander projects to start the series finale against the San Diego Padres on May 27.
Ultimately, the Guardians prevailed 1-0 in one of the top pitching duels of the 2026 season. Gavin Williams matched Sanchez pitch-for-pitch, and Cleveland broke through against Phillies closer Jhoan Duran on a pinch-hit homer from Kyle Manzardo.
Cristopher Sanchez’s Scoreless Streak: By the Numbers
Sustaining such a scoreless streak requires a bit of luck and domination from the mound. The left-hander has not allowed a run in four consecutive starts, dating all the way to the start of May.
Here’s a look at the numbers in Sanchez’s last four starts, which date back to May 5.
- Innings Pitched: 32
- Strikeouts: 36
- Strikeout Rate: 31.0%
- Walks: 3
- Walk Rate: 2.6%
- K-BB%: 28.4%
- WHIP: 0.688
- Opponent Slash: .169 BA/.198 OBP/.181 SLG
In his last four starts, Sanchez has averaged eight innings per start. That includes a complete game shutout of the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 16, in which he struck out a career-high 13 batters.
ESPN Insights posted on X that Sanchez became the second Phillies starter to post four consecutive scoreless starts of at least seven innings. Unsurprisingly, the other pitcher is Grover Cleveland Alexander.
Additionally, Sanchez became just the second left-hander to log a four-game stretch of 32 innings, 36 strikeouts, and three walks. The other was Clayton Kershaw, who achieved the feat with the Los Angeles Dodgers back in 2015. That factoid was posted on X by “Jay Hay” of the “Baseball is Dead” podcast.
Cristopher Sanchez Makes Case for NL’s Cy Young Frontrunner
The National League Cy Young Award race may be the most compelling in the 2026 season. Four pitchers can claim frontrunner status, with Paul Skenes, Jacob Misiorowski, and Mason Miller joining Sanchez.
After his dominant start against the Guardians, Sanchez has a 1.62 ERA and a 1.97 FIP. The left-hander is on track for a career-high 29.9% strikeout rate to pair with an elite 58.3% ground ball rate. So not only is he missing bats at an elite level, but he’s also suppressing the amount of slug the opposing hitter can achieve.
Sanchez entered play leading all National League starters with 2.7 fWAR. In addition to the run prevention dominance, he has been the most consistent starter at pitching deep into games. Following his strong start against Cleveland, he leads all MLB starters with 72.1 innings and is on pace for 217 on the season.
Should Sanchez reach that mark, he’ll be the first pitcher in four seasons to log at least 217 innings. Historical precedence should be good for the Phillies left-hander, as the last person to do that was Sandy Alcantara. The Marlins ace hurled 228.2 innings in 2022, en route to an NL Cy Young Award.
With a tight race coming, each appearance by Sanchez, Skenes, Misiorowski, and Miller becomes appointment television for all baseball fans. This race could come down to the wire with four great candidates.
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