Lincoln Zdunich
Cristopher Sánchez has spent the last five weeks doing one thing: not allowing runs. The Philadelphia Phillies‘ ace’s historic scoreless streak finally came to an end against the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night. Sánchez didn’t allow a run for the entire month of May, going 50 2/3 innings without allowing a run.
That mark is the longest scoreless innings streak in Phillies history as well as the longest by any left-hander in MLB history. It’s the fifth longest streak in a single season, with Sánchez just 8 1/3 innings away from Orel Hershiser’s longstanding record with the 1988 Los Angeles Dodgers.
Sánchez’s Case for the National League Cy Young
The NL Cy Young race has been particularly heated in 2026. With starters like Jacob Misiorowski, Shohei Ohtani and Paul Skenes pitching exceptionally well to start the season, it’s shaping up to be one of the closest award races in recent years. Sánchez has planted himself firmly in the debate for the Cy Young after finishing runner-up to Skenes in 2025.
Despite already being elite in ’25, Sánchez has taken another step forward this year. He’s pitching to a 1.46 ERA and 1.09 WHIP across 86 1/3 innings. The lefty has traditionally been known as a groundball pitcher, but he’s racked up more strikeouts than ever in the last two years. In 2024, Sánchez struck out just 153 batters in 181 2/3 innings. But in ’25, he struck out 212 over 202 innings pitched. Currently, Sánchez is on pace to amass 253 strikeouts.
Sánchez’s chase percentage, whiff percentage and strikeout percentage are all up from 2025. Batters are chasing at a 36.8 percent clip (31.6 percent in ’25) and whiffing at 33.6 percent of pitches (30.4 percent in ’25). Sánchez’s strikeout rate has gone from 26.3 percent to 29.4 percent, putting the left-hander in the 90th percentile across MLB.
The End of the Streak
After allowing just two hits through six innings against the Friars on Wednesday night, Sánchez entered the seventh poised to finish another scoreless outing. He struck out Gavin Sheets and induced a groundout from Xander Bogaerts to get two easy outs. With two outs, Ty France doubled down the left field line to put a runner in scoring position for the Padres. Jackson Merrill came up and laced a single to bring France home. In just four pitches, Sánchez’s streak came to an end.
With Merrill standing on first base, the Philadelphia crowd gave Sánchez a standing ovation. The lefty could only stand and smile, taking in the adoration and applause of the usually-boisterous Philly crowd. Sánchez remained in the game, finishing the inning by getting Jase Bowen to line out to Brandon Marsh in left field.
