Cristopher Sánchez makes history in pitching Phillies to a sweep of the Padres

SAN DIEGO — Cristopher Sánchez had toppled a Hall of Famer and broken a franchise record that had stood for 115 years, but there were no big celebrations.

Not right away, anyway. At the end of the fourth inning, Bryce Harper made sure to secure the ball Sánchez had used to extend his scoreless streak to 41⅔ innings, which surpassed Grover Cleveland Alexander’s 41 for the longest in Phillies franchise history. But Sánchez couldn’t bask in it; he still had an outing against the Padres to finish.

So after he walked off the field, history officially made, Sánchez disappeared into the tunnel to conduct his usual between-innings routine.

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Later, when he struck out Ty France to complete seven shutout innings in the Phillies’ 3-0 win over San Diego, the high fives and congratulations could begin. Sánchez had extended his own record to 44⅔ scoreless innings. He hasn’t allowed a run since April 30, and has thrown at least seven scoreless innings in each of his last five starts — also a franchise record.

Alexander’s team record of 41 scoreless innings had stood since 1911.

“It feels really good to do that, but we are still focused on performing every five days,” Sánchez said through team interpreter Diego D’Aniello. “This is not over yet.”

After the game, the Phillies acknowledged his accomplishment. Sánchez stood and addressed his teammates in Spanish with D’Aniello translating, and thanked God and those around him for their support.

“This is a game that’s not only about me or about what I do on the mound,” Sánchez said. “It’s just about our group, and I think it’s really something special and beautiful to feel the support of the team as a whole.”

Trea Turner was Sánchez’s first career strikeout when the lefty debuted in 2021, when Turner was still a member of the Nationals. He didn’t know much about Sánchez at the time, but has now witnessed his rise to one of the top pitchers in the sport.

“It’s always tough to stand in front of a group of people and get the boys riled up,” Turner said. “Those moments are cool moments in our careers, when you get to watch teammates do that. I think that it’s special to be a part of. So it was good hearing him.”

Sánchez didn’t feel like he had his best stuff on Wednesday, but as he’s done consistently throughout the streak, he managed to work his way out of trouble. He fell behind in counts often, throwing first-pitch strikes only 48% of the time, but still did not issue a walk.

Sánchez struck out nine, with five coming on his changeup.

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“He’s been amazing,” said interim manager Don Mattingly. “When he gets in trouble, he doesn’t seem to panic at all, just keeps making pitches. And it’s been fun to watch.”

The Padres threatened the streak several times. They advanced a runner to second base in the first inning and third base in the second, but each time Sánchez rebounded to strand him there.

He walked out for the fourth inning with a chance to break the record, and Manny Machado came a few feet from ending it with one swing. He crushed a changeup to left field that just stayed in the ballpark for Edmundo Sosa to make the catch at the wall. Sánchez and Machado grinned at each other as Machado walked off.

Machado captained the Dominican Republican team in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, where he was teammates with Sánchez.

“We just joke around a little,” Sánchez said. “He’s a tremendous guy, and I respect him a lot.”

Ramón Laureano jeopardized the streak again with a two-out double to left field, but Jackson Merrill grounded out to second base to put Sánchez’s name atop the Phillies record books.

Sánchez and Machado shared another smile in the sixth inning, after Justin Crawford made a spectacular jumping catch on the warning track to rob the Padres designated hitter of extra bases. Crawford made a long run to snag the ball, which had a .730 expected batting average, and hung onto it while crashing face-first into the center field wall.

“Definitely special to be a part of it,” Crawford said. “It’s been really fun watching him pitch throughout the whole year, and just being able to help a little bit was definitely really cool.”

Crawford said the wall was “padded pretty well,” so the collision didn’t hurt him.

The Phillies’ offense gave Sánchez a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning. Crawford singled off Padres starter Walker Buehler for his first hit since May 18. Sosa was hit by a pitch, ending Buehler’s day at just 58 pitches as Padres manager Craig Stammen brought in lefty Adrian Morejón for Kyle Schwarber.

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It didn’t pay off, as Schwarber punched a single to right field that easily scored Crawford from second. Turner hit an RBI groundout in the next at-bat that drove in Sosa, as well.

Turner homered in the ninth for an insurance run. He has homered in back-to-back games since Mattingly dropped him to the No. 2 spot in the batting order and put Schwarber in leadoff.

“My first couple of at-bats, I was a little frustrated, felt like I hit the ball pretty well and just can’t find a hole,” Turner said. “And then you just keep chugging along, keep competing, and good things happen.”

Jonathan Bowlan and José Alvarado pitched scoreless eighth and ninth innings, respectively, to secure the shutout and complete the three-game sweep over San Diego.

Sánchez’s next start will be next week at Citizens Bank Park when the Padres visit for a rematch. He will have the opportunity to make even more history. Sánchez’s 44⅔ scoreless innings currently rank seventh all-time in a single MLB season. The record of 59 innings was set by the Dodgers’ Orel Hershiser in 1988.

“He deserves it, man. Been really good for quite a long time now,” Turner said. “When you’re that consistent, you’re going to start putting your name up there with those other guys. Very historic franchise. Anytime you can be at the top of something here, I think is pretty special.”

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