The light standing ovation Cristopher Sanchez received as he stepped off the mound on Monday night was customary. It wasn’t his best start; over six innings of one-run ball, the lanky Dominican left-hander surrendered eight hits and walked three.
Sanchez has battled mild command issues since July, when he surrendered nine earned runs to lowly Kansas City Royals, a bottom-10 offense in MLB. Nevertheless, his ERA still sits comfortably at 2.51, a figure most Phillies fans should be used to, given he finished 2025 at 2.50.
The consistency Sanchez displays week in and week out almost makes what he’s doing seem pedestrian; of course, it's anything but. Over the past two seasons, Sanchez has been more dominant than any Phillies pitcher in franchise history since Grover Cleveland Alexander, a World War I veteran.
Since 2025, Sanchez has an ERA+ of 178.
It’s difficult to grasp just how far above the competition that is over a two-year stretch, so let's put it into perspective.
Cole Hamels’ best two-year stretch of ERA+ as a Phillies was 135. Curt Schilling’s best was 139. Cliff Lee was 142; Aaron Nola, 146; Robin Roberts, 147; Jim Bunning, 150; John Denny, 151; Steve Carlton, 158; Zack Wheeler, 164; Roy Halladay, 165.
They all pale in comparison to Sanchez, who nearly laps the field. Only Alexander, who literally pitched in an era before sliced bread, beats Sanchez with an ERA+ mark of 195.
MORE: Aaron Nola has restored his name in Philadelphia
Now, there’s plenty of time for Sanchez to melt down this season. He has at least five more starts in the regular season. But even if he manages to pitch below his aptitude, the 29-year-old from La Romana has built himself enough of a cushion that it’s difficult to see him falling below Halladay.
Certainly, Sanchez himself is not focused directly on this feat. Speaking via interpreter Diego D’Aniello on Monday about the far more visually appealing feat of 20 wins, Sanchez said, “My first goal is always to throw as many quality innings as I can for the team and always leave the team in a good position to win games whenever I'm out there on the mound.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">League-leading 16th win for the Sanchise
