It hasn’t necessarily been pretty, but the Philadelphia Phillies have managed to reassert themselves as a wild-card contender in the National League after a miserable start to the season. And while one person isn’t responsible for the team’s turnaround, it’s pretty clear that starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez is leading the way.
Sanchez is in the middle of authoring one of the most dominant stretches of action from a starting pitcher in recent memory. Over his past 44.2 innings of work, Sanchez hasn’t given up a single run, which has helped him emerge as the early frontrunner for the NL Cy Young Award. While he still has a lot of work to do in order to take that home, Sanchez did manage to edge out Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski for another major award.
Cristopher Sanchez Wins NL Pitcher of the Month Over Jacob Misiorowski
Over the past few years, Sanchez has quietly turned himself into perhaps the most underrated pitcher in the majors. He led all pitchers in bWAR last season (13-5, 2.50 ERA, 212 K, 1.06 WHIP), but he still only managed to finish second in the NL Cy Young race, and he was inexplicably not named an All-Star.
It’s getting tougher and tougher to ignore Sanchez, simply because he keeps getting better. Sanchez has been the best pitcher in the majors so far this year (6-2, 1.47 ERA, 95 K, 1.12 WHIP), and that’s largely because of what he just managed to do in the month of May. In five starts, Sanchez didn’t give up a single run while racking up 45 strikeouts. The fact that Philadelphia managed to lose one of his starts is mind-boggling when considering how good he has been.
Sanchez faced some stiff competition from Misiorowski, who only gave up one earned run over his six starts in May, while also striking out 57 batters. At the end of the day, though, Sanchez’s scoreless streak was impossible to ignore, which is why he managed to earn the NL Pitcher of the Month Award over Misiorowski.
“Phillies sensation Cristopher Sanchez edges out Brewers star Jacob Misiorowski for NL Pitcher of the Month in May awards,” Bob Nightengale of USA Today shared in a post on X.
Cristopher Sanchez Looking to Lead Phillies Back into Playoff Contention
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA – MAY 16: Cristopher Sánchez #61 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches in the first inning during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on May 16, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)
The NL Cy Young race is shaping up to be one of the most exciting storylines of the 2026 campaign. Sanchez and Misiorowski have both been phenomenal, but they aren’t the only starters who are carving teams up right now. Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers has posted a minuscule 0.82 ERA through his first nine starts, and Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates is always a threat to get hot and shoot back up the leaderboard.
And yet, while he’s been overlooked in the past, Sanchez’s scoreless streak has simply been too tough to ignore, largely because of the impact it has had on the Phillies as a whole. Sanchez will look to blank another opponent on Wednesday night when he toes the rubber for Philadelphia in its upcoming matchup against the San Diego Padres.
Like HEAVY’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
The post Phillies’ Ace Cristopher Sanchez Edges Out Jacob Misiorowski for Major Award appeared first on HEAVY.