Phillies ace Sánchez is one of the best anywhere ... but especially at the Bank

PHILADELPHIA -- There's perhaps no better winning formula across Major League Baseball right now than Cristopher Sánchez starting a game at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies' co-ace has obviously put together a stellar season overall -- he ranks second among NL pitchers in strikeouts (168) and fourth in ERA (2.61) -- but he takes his dominance to another level entirely when pitching at home. In 13 starts in front of the Philadelphia faithful this season, Sánchez is 9-1 with a 1.28 ERA and 98 strikeouts over 84 1/3 innings.

The Phillies are 11-2 in those 13 games -- and you can't even blame Sánchez for either of the two losses. After all, he didn't allow an earned run in either outing.

Sánchez will look to continue that home cooking on Thursday night when he takes the mound at Citizens Bank Park to face the Nationals.

"I've always said it: I love pitching at home," Sánchez said via interpreter Diego D'Aniello. "I love the stadium, I love the fans, I love the energy that it brings. I just feel really comfortable pitching here."

What Sánchez is doing at the Bank this season isn't just good, it's bordering on historic.

As it stands now, his 1.28 ERA would be the second-best home ERA in a single season in franchise history -- and there's still time to overtake the record. That currently belongs to Hall of Famer Grover Alexander, who had a 1.20 ERA at Philadelphia's Baker Bowl in 1915.

But this isn't limited just to Phillies history.

Only seven pitchers in the past 75 years have finished a season with at least 10 wins and a sub-1.30 ERA while pitching home. That list includes Sandy Koufax (1964), Dean Chance ('64), Vida Blue ('71), Nolan Ryan ('72), Orel Hershiser ('85), David Cone ('88) and Blake Snell (2018). As you can see, Snell is the only pitcher to do so within the past 30 years.

With the way he's pitching at home, Sánchez -- whose next win at CBP would be No. 10 -- has a legitimate chance to join that club by season's end.