Latest news with #completegame
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Someone had to cool off Cristopher Sánchez after his complete game
A well deserved water dump for Cristopher Sánchez, as he catches up with the guys in the booth after his third career complete game. Someone had to cool off Cristopher Sánchez after his complete game originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cristopher Sánchez finishes his complete game in style!
For the third time in his career, Cristopher Sánchez has a complete game. Watch the entire at-bat of the last out of the game, where he picked up his 12th strikeout of the game. Cristopher Sánchez finishes his complete game in style! originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Washington Post
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Nick Lodolo pitches his 1st complete game as Reds beat Nationals 5-0
WASHINGTON — Nick Lodolo pitched his first complete game with eight strikeouts, Nick Fraley and Santiago Espinal each had two hits and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Washington Nationals 5-0 on Wednesday. Lodolo (8-6) allowed four hits with no walks. The 27-year-old left-hander made his 21st start of the season and has 124 1/3 innings pitched, a single-season career best.
New York Times
23-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Cristopher Sánchez's ascension toward acehood has changed the calculus for Phillies
PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies, for almost two decades, had bare concrete walls that lined the hallway from the clubhouse to the dugout at Citizens Bank Park. The area underwent a makeover a few years ago with a floor-to-ceiling collage of various players that has changed over time. This season, a few steps from the dugout, there is Cristopher Sánchez. Advertisement It is a serious shot from a photoshoot, not a game. Sánchez is glaring at the camera like he's about to throw a changeup to a helpless hitter who knows the changeup is coming. He is oozing confidence. This is his final form, an astonishing transformation into one of the sport's best left-handed starters. Sánchez likes this photo. It is meaningful to him. Before every home start he's made this season, including Tuesday night's dominant complete-game victory, he puts his hand on the picture. In Sánchez's mind, there is a certain energy that comes from this image. 'It motivates me,' Sánchez said through a team interpreter. 'I try to make myself look like that picture and remember where I've come from. How far I've come.' Thirteen months to the day Sánchez signed a contract extension that might be one of the club's most consequential transactions in recent years, he tossed his third complete game in a 4-1 Phillies win. He struck out 12 Red Sox hitters. He induced 13 groundouts. He did not walk a batter. He lowered his ERA to 2.40 in 124 innings. Sanchie Day — Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 22, 2025 His evolution is now well-documented, but with every start, Sánchez is proving something greater. He is no longer some novelty. He is edging closer and closer to acehood, a status bestowed upon a certain few in Major League Baseball. His contract, one of the most team-friendly deals in the sport, will guarantee that Sánchez pitches his prime years at a discounted rate. The lefty was once on the fringes of a big-league roster; he secured generational wealth with the four-year extension. The financial security, Sánchez has said, freed his mind. He could relax. There was a runner on second base with two outs in the eighth inning Tuesday night. Rob Refsnyder, Boston's leadoff hitter and a lefty masher, came to bat. He had cracked a solo homer in the fourth inning, then struck out in the sixth. He took three balls from Sánchez to start the at-bat in the eighth. Advertisement Sánchez took a deep breath and fired a fastball for a called strike. He caught the edge of the zone with a changeup for strike two. Refsnyder fouled off another changeup. Then, Sánchez countered with yet another changeup, almost right down the middle. Refsnyder whiffed. Sánchez showed as much emotion on the mound as ever, followed by a standing ovation from the announced crowd of 43,409 packed into the ballpark. 'I mean, he got me,' Sánchez said. 'But I got him twice. So that's why I showed so much emotion.' He wasn't done. Manager Rob Thomson checked on Sánchez, who had thrown 96 pitches in eight innings. He was good to go. The fans greeted him with another ovation. 'Goosebumps,' Sánchez said. He needed 10 pitches for the final three outs. J.T. Realmuto flipped the ball to Sánchez, who snared it with his bare left hand. That ball sat atop his locker afterward. 'Electric,' Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. 'Electric. He's one of the best pitchers in the big leagues. His fastball is unique. His changeup is too. Today, he was on point. … That was one of the best I've seen in a while.' What. A. Night. — Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 23, 2025 The Phillies, like every team, have flaws. But no other team has Zack Wheeler and Sánchez atop its rotation. It is what separates the Phillies. It is why the front office feels compelled to trade top prospects by the end of this month. Sánchez, 28, has changed the calculus in every way. Aaron Nola, the man who was supposed to slot second in the rotation, has not pitched since May 14. The Phillies have missed him, but not as much as they would have in previous years. Sánchez is firmly the Game 2 starter in a hypothetical postseason series. His emergence will allow the Phillies to move one or two other starters into the bullpen come October. Advertisement And, from a roster-building standpoint, the Phillies can begin to expect top-of-the-rotation performance in future years at a fraction of the usual cost. Sánchez's four-year contract covers his pre-free agent years at $22.5 million. The best value, as far as the Phillies are concerned, are two team options at $14 million for 2029 and $15 million for 2030. Sánchez would pitch those seasons at ages 32 and 33, respectively. The Phillies were not looking to extend Sánchez in June 2024; the pitcher's agent, Gene Mato, approached the club with the idea. Sánchez wanted security. He received a $2 million signing bonus. The franchise could benefit from it in a massive way. 'Obviously, it's not the best contract in the world; it's not the worst one, either,' Sánchez told The Athletic last month. 'But I'm much calmer. I'm focusing more on baseball right now, so it's allowed me to stay focused on my career and give my best here.' There is something to the calmness Sánchez exudes on the mound. 'Nasty,' Phillies infielder Edmundo Sosa said. 'He's worked so hard. That's why.' Hitters have a difficult time discerning Sánchez's changeup, one of the best pitches in baseball, from his fastball. He has an unusual arm slot. He keeps consistent mechanics when throwing both pitches; his added strength over the last two years has allowed him to repeat his delivery more often. He is throwing harder; he topped at 97 mph in Tuesday's start. His slider has improved some in 2025. But there is no fooling anyone: Sánchez will lean on his changeup. He threw it 45 times against Boston. It was the best it felt all year. 'The changeup was nasty,' Boston catcher Carlos Narváez said. 'I faced him last year and I kind of knew my approach. But the changeup was really good today. The changeup down, then a little bit away at the end of the game. He was mixing all of his pitches.' Advertisement This influenced Thomson's decision to push Sánchez. He'll have an extra day of rest before his next start. But the Phillies like Sánchez facing hitters for a third or fourth time in a game, which is supposed to be a challenge for a starter who primarily throws only two pitches. 'The changeup gets better,' Thomson said. How? 'Arm speed,' the manager said. 'Just more reps he gets with it. He gets better command of it. There's a little bit more movement. He's one of the rare guys that third time through (the order) he's even better.' Last season, the Phillies noticed an oddity. Sánchez was far better pitching at home than he was on the road. It's one reason he started Game 2 of the National League Division Series against the Mets. They wondered about the mound here, maybe accentuating his unique release point. Maybe it was the batter's eye. Maybe it was Sánchez's routine, going straight from the bullpen mound to the top of the first inning. Whatever it was, Sánchez adjusted. He is better on the road (2.17 ERA in 11 starts) than at home (2.65 ERA in nine starts) this season. It is just another way Sánchez has evolved. 'The work that we've been doing from the offseason is working,' Sánchez said. 'It's something that I take pride in.' He's starting to dream bigger than that man in the photo.
CBS News
23-07-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Phillies' Cristopher Sánchez makes statement with complete-game, 12 K performance in win over Red Sox
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez didn't think he was done after the eighth inning Tuesday night, although it was easy to believe that was the case. Sánchez sent out an emphatic scream when he struck out Rob Refsnyder on his textbook changeup, a yell that signaled from the naked eye his night was over. Masterful for eight innings, Sánchez had 10 strikeouts to zero walks at that point. "I always wait for the manager to tell me I'm done," Sánchez said with a smile. "I wait for that situation to come." Phillies manager Rob Thomson sent Sánchez out for the ninth inning to a thundering ovation from the sellout crowd of 43,409 at Citizens Bank Park. Taking Sánchez out and putting in Orion Kerkering for the save wasn't a consideration at that point — even though the Phillies had Kerkering warming up just in case. "He was ready to go," Thomson said. "I went down and talked to him just to make sure he was good. He said, 'I'll tell you if I was tired.'" Sánchez dominated the ninth just like the first eight innings in a complete game effort. In one of the best pitching performances of his career, Sánchez allowed just one run off four hits while striking out 12 and walking zero in the Phillies' 4-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox — taking the series from one of the American League East powers. The ninth inning started with Sánchez striking out Roman Anthony looking, the fourth time he struck out the Red Sox top prospect on the night. Alex Bregman followed with a line out to third baseman Edmundo Sosa. Then, Sánchez struck out Romy Gonzalez on his signature changeup to complete the masterful performance. This was the third time a Phillies pitcher had a game with 12-plus strikeouts and zero walks this season (Zack Wheeler had the other two), and just the third complete game in the majors this season in which a pitcher had 12-plus strikeouts and zero walks (Wheeler and Tarik Skubal were the other two). Sánchez's ERA dropped to 2.40 this season, fourth best in the National League behind Paul Skenes (1.91), Matthew Boyd (2.20), and Wheeler (2.39), Since June 1, Sánchez has thrown 64.1 innings with 64 strikeouts to just 10 walks and a 1.54 ERA. He's one of the best pitchers in baseball, and he continues to remain humble about it. "Everyone has an opinion on that," Sánchez said. "I just try to deal with this specific end of the mountain and try to compete as much as I can." As for that rambunctious scream to end the eighth inning? There was a bit of motivation behind it. Sánchez's lone blemish was allowing Refsnyder to hit a home run in the fourth inning, which was the first of just four hits by the Red Sox. This at-bat was personal. "Yeah, I mean, he got me," Sanchez said. "And then I got him twice with two K's." Statement made.
