Phillies Cristopher Sanchez shows he has come a long way with a complete-game victory
He was also trying to establish himself, at both levels, as a starting pitcher, one who has now not only has shown an affinity for pitching for length, but pitching as effectively as anyone in baseball.
The 28-yeaer-old Sanchez showed his stuff again Tuesday night, pitching a complete game, 4-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox. In the course of a 106-pitch gem, he allowed a fourth-inning home run to Rob Refsnyder and also struck out 12 batters and induced 13 ground ball outs.
While only becoming a regular starter late in the 2023 season, Sanchez wiped away his early career inconsistency and became an All-Star last season, and probably should have been one this season. He is 9-2 with a 2.40 ERA, has gone six innings or more over his last nine consecutive outings.
'That just tells me that the work we've been doing since the offseason is working,' Sanchez said of his consistency. 'And that's something I take a lot of pride in.'
With a vulnerable bullpen and usual second-starter Aaron Nola suffering a bad season start before going down with an injury, Sanchez's growth is something the Phillies desperately needed. He has responded with a cool demeanor and an arsenal that includes a high-90s fastball often tempered with a killer change-up.
'He has electric stuff,' Bryce Harper said of Sanchez after the Phillies improved to 58-43. 'He's done a great job for us. Just throws strikes. He's kind of evolved into an ace for us.'
Sanchez also has an understanding with manager Rob Thomson ... he isn't usually a pitcher who asks to come out of a game. Hence, when Sanchez kicked into an unusual celebration after striking out Refsnyder for the second time in the game to end the eighth inning, it turned out this show still had an inning to go.
'No, I always wait for the manager to tell me I'm done,' Sanchez said. 'I wait for him to come to me.'
Thomson went to his second ace starter after the eighth, 'just to see if he was OK.
'He said, 'No, I'm not tired, I'd tell you if I was tired,'' Thomson said. 'So we sent him back out.'
It took only 10 pitches in the ninth for Sanchez to finish out his third career complete game. With it will come yet more recognition that this guy is on the list of potential National League Cy Young Award candidates.
That's a long way from the hopeful pitcher splitting time between the minors and majors just a few seasons ago.
'That was very hard, but I never gave up,' Sanchez said. 'I was staying strong, both mentally and physically, and I was always ready for the opportunity whenever it came.'
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
a minute ago
- Washington Post
The DC Open's lasting image: A crushing loss and a moment of sportsmanship
The trophies were wheeled out on the court, and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina couldn't take the towel off his head. He crouched on his bench seat, holding his head in his hands, for several minutes Sunday night as DC Open officials gathered on the court. Eventually, he slid off the bench and to the ground.
CBS News
a minute ago
- CBS News
Twins lose third consecutive series after 7-2 loss to Nationals
CJ Abrams hit a leadoff homer, stole three bases and scored three runs as the Washington Nationals beat the Minnesota Twins 7-2 on Sunday. Nationals starter Jake Irvin (8-5), a Twin Cities native pitching at Target Field for the first time, gave up two runs on five hits over seven innings. Josh Bell went 3 for 4 with an RBI. Matt Wallner homered and Harrison Bader had two hits for Minnesota, which has lost six of nine since the All-Star break. Daylen Lile tripled and scored on Paul DeJong's sacrifice fly in the fourth to put the Nationals on top 3-2. Washington broke it open with four runs in the fifth off Travis Adams (1-1), keyed by Alex Call's two-run single. Abrams hit the first pitch of the game from Twins opener Cole Sands for his 14th home run of the season. After the Twins tied it on Wallner's second-inning homer, Abrams manufactured a run for the Nationals. He led off the third inning with a single, stole second and third and scored on Luis García Jr.'s sacrifice fly. Minnesota tied it again on Trevor Larnach's sacrifice fly in the bottom half. Leading 4-2, the Nationals loaded the bases with one out in the fifth. Call hit a grounder up the middle that second baseman Brooks Lee was ready to turn into an inning-ending double play. Instead, the ball skipped off the side of the mound and caromed over Lee's head for a two-run single. Abrams has five leadoff homers this year and 12 in 470 career games. Simeon Woods Richardson (5-4, 4.14 ERA) will take the mound for the Twins on Monday as they open a three-game series against visiting Boston. The Nationals travel to Houston, where Brad Lord (2-5, 3.39) will start on Monday.
CBS News
a minute ago
- CBS News
Sun-Times beat writer Patrick Finley breaks down first week of Chicago Bears training camp
The Chicago Bears will put on the pads for the first time at their practice Monday morning at Halas Hall, following an intense week of practice last week as the team gets used to new head coach Ben Johnson's style. Chicago Sun-Times beat reporter Patrick Finley emphasized the intensity and urgency with which Johnson coaches. "When Ben Johnson got here on the first day on check-in day, he didn't say, 'Boy, we've got see weeks, you know, we'll ease into this thing.' He said: 'It is a race. We need to go,' and that's just a different vibe here. He's got an intelligence and intensity that I think is really refreshing, and it has been all offseason, and now we get to see it on the field," Finley said. "I think the players are reacting to it, and reacting in a really good way. This is a team that really wanted to be coached hard last year, had to beg the last offensive coordinator to coach them hard — and now they're getting it." Finley said the Bears' offense was really bad in the red zone on Friday, but improved Saturday — and progress is critically important. "It's one thing to make a mistake. It's another to keep making it. I think we've seen with Justin Fields and Mitch Trubisky before them that they'll make one mistake and then it keeps going on and on," said Finley. "If they can correct it, that's what I'm looking for, and Saturday was a really good start in that direction." On the defensive side, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's unit is being talked about as getting different looks every day. "They've been a handful, and you know, there's this old wives' tale that at this time of year, the defense should be winning. But they've been winning, and they've been winning pretty decisively," Finley said. "Part of that is because of the different looks they're giving them. Part of it's by plan too. There is a pressure, time of practice, where they just bring blitzes at Caleb and go, hey, you know, figure it out." Meanwhile, the Bears are also working without cornerback Jaylon Johnson on the defensive side. He suffered a non-football injury during offseason training and will mis several weeks. "To make up for the lack of Jaylon Johnson has been really impressive. I mean, they have Nahshon Wright out there. He's looked good. They're cycling through with Tyrique Stevenson and Terrell Smith," said Finley. "They're going to need that depth at some point in the year, and for them to look pretty decent out there now, that's good stuff." In the week to come, the practices will feel a little more real as the team puts on the pads. Finley said his eye will be on the rookies. "Kyle Monangai — the seventh-round pick out of Rutgers — really curious to see what he does when he has really big guys trying to chase him down. You know, I'll be interested to see what the rookie class can do physically — you know, we saw Colston Loveland on Saturday practicing T-drills for the first time. That's a really good sign," said Finley. "Maybe Luther Burden can be out there next week. Ben Johnson said that he was hopeful on the second-round pick. And then you've got Ozzy Trapilo, who is playing left tackle and cycling through with the starters. All of those guys, once the pads come on, they're going to be really interesting to me."
