PHILADELPHIA — Before their latest matchup, Cristopher Sánchez and his friend Marcell Ozuna, both from the Dominican Republic, engaged in some playful banter.
The designated hitter for the Pirates boasted to Sánchez that he would hit a home run off him.
Instead, Sánchez dominated Ozuna completely — striking him out four times during the May 16 shutout win, while recording 13 strikeouts total in the game.
“That wasn’t a very good idea to piss him off,” Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto said with a laugh.
With his devastating combination of sinker, slider, and changeup that has established him among baseball’s elite pitchers, Sánchez dominated virtually every hitter during an outstanding scoreless stretch in May.
During May, Sánchez compiled a 4-0 record while striking out 45 batters — issuing just three walks — across 39 innings, shattering a franchise record that had stood for 115 years. Sánchez enters Wednesday’s matchup against San Diego having pitched 44 2/3 straight scoreless innings, surpassing the previous team mark of 41 innings established by Grover Cleveland Alexander in 1911.
Now within reach is the major league record established by former Los Angeles Dodgers star Orel Hershiser, who compiled 59 consecutive scoreless innings for the World Series champions between Aug. 30 and Sept. 28, 1988.
“I’m pulling for anybody to have a life-changing moment,” Hershiser said. “’88 and the 59 scoreless changed my life. The only time I’m not going to root for him is when he’s pitching against the Dodgers.”
Sánchez was not scheduled to face the Dodgers during the Phillies’ recent 4-2 road trip, and Los Angeles currently sits at 21-10 under interim manager Don Mattingly.
He has dominated nearly everything else, leaving opposing batters swinging at air.
“It’s something special,” Sánchez said through an interpreter. “Something really important. I never imagined something like this. So, I’m really happy and proud of myself.”
Sánchez has delivered a minimum of seven shutout innings across five consecutive starts — requiring him to reach that threshold in two additional outings, plus one more inning to surpass Hershiser — with only six other pitchers ranking above him on the consecutive shutout innings list since the Live Ball Era began in 1920.
Arizona pitcher Zac Gallen remains the only other current pitcher who can relate to Sánchez’s experience during such an extended scoreless run. Gallen — recently surpassed by Sánchez — recorded six consecutive scoreless outings of six-plus innings and concluded with 44 1/3 total innings in 2022.
“When you’re on a streak like that, it’s fun,” Gallen said. “It’s kind of like walking around, I wouldn’t say on eggshells of, ‘Oh man, you never know when this thing’s going to end.’ But it’s fun when you’re out there and you’re in flow state and the zeros start to stack up. So, it’s awesome for him. I hope he can take down the record.”
Sánchez carries a 6-2 record with a major league-leading 1.47 ERA into Wednesday’s matchup against a Padres squad he defeated just last week with seven outstanding innings. If Sánchez begins the contest with three scoreless frames, he would surpass Sal Maglie, Carl Hubbell, Zack Greinke, and Bob Gibson on the scoreless streak rankings.
Only Don Drysdale and Hershiser would remain ahead of him.
“What I do watch, he’s very, very special,” Hershiser said. “His changeup, his athleticism, his ability to change speeds to both sides of the plate. I just think he’s a real special pitcher. You can’t do what he’s doing without repeating your mechanics and having some deception and making a lot of good pitches. He’s putting it all together.”
Sánchez’s previous 28.2 innings at Citizens Bank Park have all been scoreless, giving him the third-longest scoreless streak in the venue’s history, behind only Roy Halladay in 2010 (33 innings) and Cliff Lee in 2011 (29).
The 29-year-old Sánchez has steadily approached excellence over the past two seasons.
He finished as the NL Cy Young Award runner-up in 2025 after posting a 13-5 record with a 2.50 ERA while striking out 212 batters across 202 innings. In March, Sánchez received a guaranteed $104 million contract spanning six years through the 2032 season, featuring $20 million in deferred payments from 2035-44.
The Phillies invested heavily in Sánchez financially, and the early results have been remarkable — he earned his first opening day assignment and could secure an All Star starting role in July at his home ballpark.
Sánchez joined the Tampa Bay Rays as an international free agent in 2013 and came to the Phillies six years later via trade for infielder Curtis Mead in a largely overlooked winter deal. Mead failed to establish himself as a regular player and is hitting .242 across 45 games this season with the Washington Nationals.
Sánchez — featuring a changeup that averages 86.5 mph while limiting opponents to a .153 batting average — has partnered with Zack Wheeler to create a powerful top duo in the rotation, helping the Phillies recover from a 9-19 beginning to regain wild card positioning.
Sánchez has primarily induced weak contact, with his scoreless streak never facing serious threat since he last surrendered two runs during the opening inning of a 3-2 Phillies victory over the Giants on April 30.
The defensive highlight during his streak occurred in his most recent outing when centerfielder Justin Crawford pursued Manny Machado’s deep fly ball and collided with the wall to secure the catch.
Sánchez remained on the mound and acknowledged the defensive gem with applause.
Should Sánchez reach 60 scoreless innings, Hershiser will be among those celebrating.
“If Cristopher would break it, that would be an honor to be mentioned and I would treat him the same (respectful) way that Don Drysdale treated me,” he said.
