Cristopher Sánchez returned to the mound for the top of the ninth inning at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday night with 86 pitches under his belt. With going the distance in reach, he mowed down two Washington Nationals batters before an error at shortstop extended the game.
The misplay could’ve snowballed or put his big night in jeopardy. Sánchez didn’t break a sweat. He got CJ Abrams to fly out to left field to seal his 99-pitch complete game.
It was efficient. It was clean. It was the latest gem in what’s been a truly eye-opening season for the Phillies’ breakout pitcher.
“He’s really improved,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “It’s impressive how far he’s come. And not only is he holding his command, but his velocity has gone up from last year. He’d be a (No.) 1 on a lot of teams.”
And that isn’t hyperbole from Thomson. An afterthought at the start of 2023, Sánchez emerged as a legitimate major-league starter in the middle of last season when the Phillies didn’t really have another option for their rotation. This year, the 27-year-old lefty has only continued to develop, performing like one of the better pitchers in the National League on even greater volume.
Sánchez has a 3.46 ERA in 140 1/3 innings across 24 starts. He pitched in the All-Star Game in July. His ERA is 25th in Major League Baseball. His 4.0 fWAR is fourth best in baseball and second in the National League among starters. Sánchez’s 2.82 FIP ranks fourth in the majors and third in the NL. He’s allowed 0.32 home runs per nine innings, which is the lowest mark among all qualified starters.
The left-hander has now also thrown two complete games on the season, tied for most in the big leagues. He had everything working in his two-hit, one-run effort against the Nationals.
“Sanchy was fantastic,” Thomson said. “He really was. Everything about his night — his command, his change-up. The sink on his fastball was unbelievable. Of the 27 outs, 19 were either on the ground or strikeouts. It was dominant.”
Sánchez has built upon his strong showing from last season and made adjustments to keep finding success as he increases his workload. He’s utilized his sinker, slider and signature change-up in the strike zone, and his sinker is up to an average of over 94 mph. It’s all come together quite nicely over the course of the year.
“Everything,” Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto said of what Sánchez has improved. “He’s gotten better throwing strikes. He attacks the zone better. His velo is holding through the entire game really well. I think his command with all three pitches has gotten better, and I think he’s gained confidence through that. I think he has a lot of confidence in his stuff to be able to pound the strike zone. He doesn’t care who’s in the box. He can trust his stuff.”
Of course, it hasn’t all been perfect for the lanky 6-foot-1 Sánchez. He has a 5.53 ERA in 11 road starts. He got rocked in two of his previous three starts before Saturday; Thomson attributed those struggles to some arm-angle issues that Sánchez seemed to have corrected. He’s never thrown close to as many innings as he has already this season, so he’ll have to remain durable.
But the overall results speak for themselves. Sánchez has done more than answer the call as a member of the starting rotation this year. He’s given the Phillies a reason to believe that they have a pitcher and person they can count on.
“It’s amazing, the maturity of this kid,” Thomson said. “And I’ve said it many, many times since the first time I saw him. He’s grown up. He’s a man. He commands the baseball. He attacks. He’s not afraid.”
