(PHILADELPHIA (AP) Cristopher Sánchez and fellow Dominican Marcell Ozuna are friends, so it was only natural they traded playful barbs before their latest matchup. Ozuna, the Pirates’ designated hitter, warned Sánchez he’d hit a home run off him. Instead, Sánchez struck him out four times, finishing with 13 strikeouts total in the Phillies’ shutout victory on May 16.
“Not the smartest move to get him angry,” Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto joked.
Thanks to a dominant mix of sinker, slider, and changeup that has elevated him to elite status, Sánchez cruised through May without allowing a single run. He went 4-0 with 45 strikeouts and just three walks over 39 innings, breaking a franchise record that had stood for 115 years. Heading into his Wednesday start against San Diego, Sánchez has thrown 44⅔ consecutive scoreless innings, surpassing Grover Cleveland Alexander’s 41-inning mark from 1911.
Next up is the major league record held by former Dodgers great Orel Hershiser, who pitched 59 straight scoreless innings from August 30 to September 28, 1988.
“I always root for someone to have a transformative moment,” Hershiser said. “That 1988 streak changed my life. The only time I wouldn’t cheer for him is if he’s facing the Dodgers.”
Sánchez missed the Dodgers series during Philadelphia’s 4-2 road trip, where the team improved to 21-10 under interim manager Don Mattingly. Beyond that, he hasn’t missed much — except maybe a lot of bats.
“It’s something special,” Sánchez said through an interpreter. “Very important. I never imagined this. I’m really happy and proud.”
Sánchez has thrown at least seven shutout innings in five straight starts. He would need to do that in two more outings plus one additional inning to break Hershiser’s record. Only six pitchers since the start of the Live Ball Era in 1920 have had longer scoreless streaks.
Arizona’s Zac Gallen is the only other active pitcher who can relate to such a streak. Gallen recently passed by Sánchez had six straight scoreless starts of six-plus innings, totaling 44⅓ innings in 2022.
“It’s fun when you’re in that flow and the zeros keep adding up,” Gallen said. “I hope he breaks the record.”
Sánchez enters Wednesday’s start against San Diego a team he just beat with seven shutout innings with a 6-2 record and an MLB-best 1.47 ERA. If he begins the game with three scoreless frames, he’ll surpass Sal Maglie, Carl Hubbell, Zack Greinke, and Bob Gibson on the all-time list, leaving only Don Drysdale and Hershiser ahead of him.
“He’s very, very special,” Hershiser said. “His changeup, athleticism, ability to change speeds to both sides of the plate he’s putting it all together.”
Sánchez has thrown 28⅔ consecutive scoreless innings at Citizens Bank Park, the third-longest streak in ballpark history behind Roy Halladay (33 innings in 2010) and Cliff Lee (29 in 2011).
The 29-year-old has steadily built toward greatness over the past two seasons. He finished as the NL Cy Young runner-up in 2025, going 13-5 with a 2.50 ERA and 212 strikeouts over 202 innings. In March, he signed a six-year, $104 million contract through 2032, which includes $20 million in deferred payments from 2035-44.
The Phillies have placed significant trust in Sánchez, and the early returns are strong: He made his first Opening Day start and could earn the All-Star Game start on his home mound in July.
Sánchez originally signed with the Tampa Bay Rays as an international free agent in 2013 and was traded to the Phillies six years later for infielder Curtis Mead. Mead never became an everyday player and is now batting .242 in 45 games for the Nationals.
With a changeup averaging 86.5 mph and holding hitters to a .153 average, Sánchez and Zack Wheeler form a formidable 1-2 punch in the rotation, helping Philadelphia recover from a 9-19 start to climb back into wild-card contention.
Sánchez has relied largely on weak contact, and his scoreless streak hasn’t been in serious danger since he allowed two runs in the first inning of a 3-2 win over the Giants on April 30. The defensive highlight came in his last start, when center fielder Justin Crawford sprinted to the wall to catch a deep drive by Manny Machado. Sánchez applauded from the mound.
If Sánchez reaches 60 scoreless innings, Hershiser will be cheering too.
“If Cristopher breaks it, it would be an honor to be mentioned, and I’d treat him with the same respect Don Drysdale showed me,” Hershiser said.
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