Starting pitcher Cristopher Sánchez of the Philadelphia Phillies has been voted the National League Pitcher of the Month for May, and starting pitcher Spencer Arrighetti of the Houston Astros has been named the American League Pitcher of the Month for May. The announcements were made earlier today on MLB Network.
In a loaded race of many star performances, Sánchez earned his second career award after previously winning in June 2024 as a member of the Phillies. With a scoreless month, Sánchez is one of 18 Phillies pitchers to win the award and just the third to win multiple times, joining fellow southpaw Cliff Lee (June & August 2011) and his rotationmate Zack Wheeler (May 2022 & June 2025). Arrighetti earned his first career honor and is the first Astros pitcher to win the award since his teammate Hunter Brown in June 2025. Overall, Arrighetti is Houston’s 22nd player to garner Pitcher of the Month honors.
Cristopher Sánchez, Philadelphia Phillies (@crisanchez30_)
Across five starts, the 29-year-old went 4-0 with a 0.00 ERA (0 ER/39.0 IP) while allowing 25 hits with just three walks, 45 strikeouts, a 0.72 WHIP, a .181 opponents’ batting average and 10.38 strikeouts per 9.0 innings.
The La Romana, Dominican Republic native and member of Team Dominican Republic in the 2026 World Baseball Classic led the Majors in ERA; ranked second in WHIP; ranked third in strikeouts and innings pitched; ranked ninth in opponents’ batting average; and was one of three pitchers to throw a shutout.
The 2024 All-Star has thrown a franchise-record 44.2 consecutive scoreless innings dating back to the second inning of his start on April 30th, surpassing Hall of Famer Grover Alexander, who threw 41.0 consecutive scoreless innings during his rookie season in 1911. Sánchez’s streak is the seventh-longest in the Live-Ball Era (since 1920), trailing only Orel Hershiser (59.0 IP in 1988); Hall of Famer Don Drysdale (58.0 IP in 1968); Hall of Famer Bob Gibson (47.0 IP in 1968); Zack Greinke (45.2 IP in 2015); Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell (45.1 IP in 1933); and Sal Maglie (45.0 IP in 1950).
The runner-up for the 2025 NL Cy Young Award dealt at least 7.0 innings in all five of his starts in May, becoming the sixth pitcher since 1901 to make five consecutive scoreless starts of at least 7.0 innings, joining Hershiser (6 GS - 9/5-9/29/1988); Drysdale (6 GS - 5/14-6/4/1968); Brandon Webb (5 GS - 7/25-8/17/2007); Gibson (5 GS - 6/6-6/26/1968); and Doc White (5 GS - 9/12-9/30/1904).
The southpaw is just the second traditional starter in Baseball history to make at least five starts while not allowing a run in a single month, joining Hershiser, who allowed no runs across 55.0 innings for the Los Angeles Dodgers in September 1988, throwing five complete games while making six starts. The only other pitcher to achieve a scoreless month while making five starts is Ryne Stanek, who appeared in 12 games for the Tampa Bay Rays in June 2018, allowing no runs in 15.2 innings while making seven starts as an opener and never throwing more than 2.0 innings in an appearance.
MLB’s current leader in ERA (1.47), who will take the mound tonight against San Diego, twirled his second career shutout on May 16th at Pittsburgh, joining his shutout on June 28, 2024 against Miami. He is one of 35 active pitchers with multiple career shutouts, with 23 of the 35 pitchers recording at least one shutout at home and on the road. Sánchez is seeking to becoming Philadelphia’s first pitcher to win the ERA title since Hall of Famer Steve Carlton during his Cy Young Award-winning 1972 season.
Spencer Arrighetti, Houston Astros (@szarrighetti)
Across five starts, the 26-year-old went 4-1 with a 0.93 ERA (3 ER/29.0 IP) while allowing 16 hits with 17 walks, 22 strikeouts, a 1.14 WHIP, a .165 opponents’ batting average and 6.83 strikeouts per 9.0 innings.
The Albuquerque, New Mexico native ranked third in the Majors in ERA; and ranked fourth in opponents’ batting average, pacing the American League in both categories.
The sixth-round selection in the 2021 Draft turned in scoreless starts on May 15th against Texas and May 22nd at Chicago (NL), dealing 7.1 scoreless frames against Texas and 5.0 scoreless innings against Chicago. He carried a no-hit bid into the eighth inning on May 15th before permitting a one-out single to Justin Foscue.
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette product became one of nine Astros starting pitchers to throw back-to-back scoreless starts of at least 5.0 innings and two-or-fewer hits, and the first to accomplish the feat since Framber Valdez in 2024. His rotationmate Kai-Wei Teng also accomplished the feat in May, following Arrighetti with scoreless starts on May 16th and May 23rd. Overall, he fired 14.0 consecutive scoreless innings from the sixth inning of his start on May 9th through the first inning of his start on May 28th.
The right-hander became the second pitcher in Astros’ franchise to make at least five starts in a single month while maintaining an ERA of 1.00-or-less and allowing fewer than 20 hits, joining Dallas Keuchel, who had a 0.73 ERA and also permitted 16 hits across 37.0 innings in April 2015.
Arrighetti has permitted five-or-fewer hits in each of his first eight starts of the season, becoming the sixth Astros starting pitcher (seventh occurrence) to allow less than six hits in each of his first eight starts of a campaign and the first since Ronel Blanco made each of his first 14 starts in 2024 without giving up more than five hits. Arrighetti is the fifth Astros pitcher (sixth occurrence) to permit less than eight earned runs across his first eight starts of a season and the first since Justin Verlander also allowed seven earned runs across his first eight starts of 2022.
Others receiving votes for NL Pitcher of the Month included Jacob Misiorowski (5-0, 0.23 ERA, 0.52 WHIP, 6 GS, 38.1 IP, 14 H, 6 BB, 57 SO) of the Milwaukee Brewers; Andrew Abbott (3-1, 1.29 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 5 GS, 28.0 IP, 19 H, 12 BB, 18 SO) of the Cincinnati Reds; and Shohei Ohtani (3-1, 1.08 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 4 GS, 25.0 IP, 11 H, 8 BB, 27 SO) of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Others receiving votes for AL Pitcher of the Month included Shane McClanahan (4-0, 1.41 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 6 GS, 32.0 IP, 21 H, 6 BB, 28 SO) and Nick Martinez (3-0, 1.52 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 5 GS, 29.2 IP, 34 H, 3 BB, 17 SO) of the Tampa Bay Rays; Davis Martin (4-0, 2.05 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 5 GS, 30.2 IP, 21 H, 6 BB, 38 SO) of the Chicago White Sox; Bryan Woo (4-1, 3.03 ERA, 0.87 ERA, 6 GS, 35.2 IP, 23 H, 8 BB, 41 SO) of the Seattle Mariners; Cam Schlittler (3-1, 1.48 ERA, 0.99 ERA, 5 GS, 30.1 IP, 23 H, 7 BB, 32 SO) of the New York Yankees; and AL Reliever of the Month Cade Smith (1.32 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, 13 G, 13-for-13 SV, 13.2 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 25 SO) of the Cleveland Guardians.