Thursday, May 28

Welcome to the latest edition of the Phillies Beat newsletter. This version was written by Paul Casella, who has been based in Philadelphia since 2019 and covers the team alongside Todd Zolecki.

SAN DIEGO -- Cristopher Sánchez isn’t much for giving speeches.

But after setting the record for the longest scoreless streak in Phillies history on Wednesday, he was called upon to say a few words in front of his teammates and coaching staff.

“I didn't do a good job,” Sánchez told reporters afterward, “but it's OK.”

But hey, what can you even say right now? Sánchez is on one of the most dominant runs in Major League history, having turned in 44 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings. He just finished off an entirely scoreless month of May in which he went 4-0 with 45 strikeouts over 39 innings.

The things he’s doing have either never been seen before or at least not in a very, very long time.

So instead of trying to explain Sánchez’s dominance with more words, let’s just let those closest to the action -- whether it’s standing in the Phillies dugout, the opposing dugout or in the batter’s box -- try to describe it.

“You always try to beat the guy who pitches the day before you. He's pretty hard to beat right now, but you’ve got to go out there and try. … Whatever run he's on, it’s pretty special. It's almost unmatchable.” -- Phillies co-ace Zack Wheeler

“He’s been really good for quite a long time now. When you're that consistent, you're going to start putting your name up there with those other guys. This is a very historic franchise, so any time you can be at the top of something here, I think it’s pretty special. He deserves it.” -- Phillies shortstop Trea Turner

“I mean, he's just been so dominant. He makes my job easy. It's kind of like playing a video game back there. I just press buttons and then he executes.” -- Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto

“He’s amazing. He’s the best pitcher right now.” -- Phillies closer Jhoan Duran

“I don't know if I've seen anything quite like it. Pretty amazing every time out. He seemingly makes it look easy -- obviously, I know it's not.” -- Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly

"You look at the metrics on him, he throws his sinker and his changeup with the same metrics. One is 96 [mph] and the other one is 88. It just keeps you off the barrel, and it keeps you off the ground. And the impressive part is, he strikes people out. It's not like he's a pitch-to-contact pitcher. He's throwing the ball really well." -- Padres third baseman Manny Machado

“He was so raw when we first got him and even in his first couple stints in the big leagues. It’s cool to see how he’s trusted the people around him in order to get the product that you’re seeing. The frame and the stuff speaks for itself, but man, that work ethic is going to carry him a long way.” -- Former teammate and current Guardians first baseman Rhys Hoskins

"By the swings we were taking, you could tell that every pitch looked the exact same coming in and then it moved late. That’s why he’s in the middle of a however-many-innings scoreless streak. He’s one of the best pitchers in baseball." -- Guardians manager Stephen Vogt

"He’s definitely one of the top pitchers in the game right now. The stuff looked electric from the dugout and, obviously, the performance kind of backs that up as well." -- A’s manager Mark Kotsay

"He mixes it up. Sinker was elite today. The slider and changeup, he could throw for strikes. He could throw beneath the zone. Everything comes out and looks the same." -- Pirates manager Don Kelly

There’s a reason Sánchez is receiving universal praise across the Majors right now. The run that he’s on over the past month extends well beyond being just one of the best in Phillies history -- it’s one of the best stretches of pitching we’ve ever seen in Major League Baseball.

Sure, he broke Grover Alexander’s franchise record – one that stood for 115 years – on Wednesday, but there’s a lot more to Sánchez’s streak.

Here are five ways in which Sánchez is in the midst of one of the most impressive displays of pitching ever seen at the big league level.

1. Climbing the all-time list

Sánchez not only surpassed Alexander for the franchise mark on Wednesday, he also leaped over MLB all-time greats such as Luis Tiant and Clayton Kershaw on the overall leaderboard.

Sánchez now has the seventh-longest scoreless streak within a single season in the Live Ball Era (since 1920) -- and he could move as high as third in his next outing.

Longest single-season scoreless streak in Live Ball Era
1. Orel Hershiser: 59 IP (1988)
2. Don Drysdale: 58 IP (1968)
3. Bob Gibson: 47 IP (1968)
4. Zack Greinke: 45 2/3 IP (2015)
5. Carl Hubbell: 45 1/3 IP (1933)
6. Sal Maglie: 45 IP (1950)
7. Cristopher Sánchez: 44 2/3 (active)

2. Scoreless May

With Sánchez’s next start coming in June, take a look at what he just accomplished in the month of May:

- 5 starts
- 39 innings
- 45 strikeouts
- 3 walks
- 0 runs

By holding the opposition scoreless for an entire month, Sánchez joined Hershiser as the only true starters in MLB history to record a full scoreless month (minimum four starts). While Hershiser went more innings (55) in his unblemished month of September 1988, he had fewer strikeouts (34) and more walks (nine).

3. Five straight scoreless starts

The scoreless innings streak is impressive enough, but it’s not as if Sánchez is piecing it together with outings of five or six innings at a time. In fact, he's now gone at least seven innings in each of his past five outings -- all of which, obviously, have been scoreless.

He’s just the sixth player to do that, joining Hershiser (six straight in 1988), Don Drysdale (six in 1968), Brandon Webb (five in 2007), Bob Gibson (five in 1968) and Doc White (five in 1904).

4. 45 strikeouts, 0 runs

This isn’t just about innings, though. As Machado said above, “He strikes people out. It's not like he's a pitch-to-contact pitcher.”

To that point, Sánchez has racked up 45 strikeouts over his past five outings. The only other pitcher in MLB history with at least 45 strikeouts and zero runs allowed over any span of five starts was Chris Sale with the 2018 Red Sox.

5. Best start in Phillies history?

While the scoreless streak has taken Sánchez’s stardom to another level, it’s not like he was off to a slow start back in March/April. Overall, the left-hander has a 1.47 ERA through 12 starts this season.

That’s not only the best ERA in the Majors among qualified starters, but it’s also the best by any Phillies pitcher through the first dozen starts of a season since Ad Brennan (1.41 ERA) in 1913 -- the first year earned runs were tracked.

Even if you look at the entire season, the only Phillies pitchers with a sub-1.50 ERA and at least 95 strikeouts over any 12-game span: Sánchez, Wheeler (2025) and Hall of Famer Steve Carlton (1980).

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