Sánchez's 50⅔-Inning Scoreless Streak Ranks 3rd Since 1920
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- Cristopher Sánchez's scoreless streak ended at 50⅔ innings (663 pitches, 190 batters faced) when Jackson Merrill punched a two-out RBI single to left in the seventh, but J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber homered in the bottom of the inning to give the Phillies a 3-2 win over San Diego.
- The streak ranks third-longest dating to the start of the live ball era in 1920, behind Orel Hershiser's record 59 straight scoreless innings in 1988 and Don Drysdale's 58 in 1968, and Sánchez passed Carl Hubbell (45⅓) to become the career leader among left-handers — also surpassing Sal Maglie, Zack Greinke, and Bob Gibson.
- Sánchez set the Phillies' franchise record by eclipsing Grover Cleveland Alexander's 41 consecutive scoreless innings from 1911, and set a Citizens Bank Park scoreless streak record at 34⅔ innings, topping Cliff Lee (29) and Roy Halladay (33).
- Sánchez improved to 7-2 with an MLB-best 1.46 ERA, struck out eight, reached 100 strikeouts for the season, and was named NL Pitcher of the Month for May after going 4-0 with 45 strikeouts and only three walks over 39 innings.
- More than 40,000 fans at Citizens Bank Park gave Sánchez a standing ovation that lasted more than a minute after the run scored — the rare scene of Phillies faithful cheering against the home team — and interim manager Don Mattingly said, "You don't get to see things like this very often."
- Orel Hershiser, who still holds the record, said last week he was fine if Sánchez broke it: "I'm pulling for anybody to have a life-changing moment," and Sánchez called the feat "something I never imagined in my life that I would do."
- Bryce Harper noted the arc: "I remember they were talking about releasing him in 2020," adding that Sánchez, a 2013 international free agent signed by Tampa Bay and traded to Philadelphia for Curtis Mead, has been "super special" since the jump.
Why it matters: Sánchez's 50⅔-inning run puts him in rarefied air alongside Hershiser and Drysdale, the only longer scoreless streaks in the live ball era, and with Hershiser himself endorsing the chase, the all-time record is a realistic target. At 7-2 with an MLB-best 1.46 ERA and 2025 NL Cy Young runner-up credentials, he has gone from a near-release candidate in 2020 to the Phillies' undisputed ace — a transformation with major implications for Philadelphia's playoff rotation.
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