5 ways Sánchez is making history on the mound

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SAN DIEGO -- There’s a reason Cristopher 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).