Sánchez looks – Cristopher Sánchez carries a 29 2/3-inning scoreless streak into Friday against the Guardians on his own bobblehead night, backed by a National League-leading 1.82 ERA and a performance that, over 40 starts dating to last year, has an ERA of 2.26 and 276 strik
PHILADELPHIA — By the time the bobbleheads were ready, Cristopher Sánchez already had the kind of run that makes you double-check the numbers.
He is bringing a 29 2/3-inning scoreless streak into Friday night’s start against the Guardians. The lefty’s season has been defined by dominance even before the crowd looks his direction: he has a National League-leading 1.82 ERA and 80 strikeouts. which trail only Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski (88) and Toronto’s Dylan Cease (84) across Major League Baseball.
But this bobblehead night isn’t just a celebration of one stretch. Over his past 40 starts, dating back to last year, Sánchez’s production has stayed in the same rare lane. His ERA over that span is 2.26, with 276 strikeouts in 255 1/3 innings.
Zack Wheeler’s name comes up because it shows how unusual that longer body of work is. Wheeler, arguably the best pitcher of the past half-decade, has never had an ERA lower than 2.39 over any 40-game stretch in his career.
In fact, Phillies pitchers with a sub-2.30 ERA and at least 250 strikeouts over any span of 40 outings are Hall of Famers Steve Carlton and Jim Bunning. Sánchez is now part of that conversation on a timeline that goes beyond highlight-reel moments.
Looking at the broader landscape. only five other active pitchers have matched Sánchez’s ERA and strikeout totals while throwing at least 250 innings over a 40-game stretch. Those pitchers—each with at least one Cy Young Award—are Justin Verlander (three Cy Young Awards). Max Scherzer (three). Jacob deGrom (two). Tarik Skubal (two). and Gerrit Cole (one). In total, that group has 11 Cy Young Awards, which is why the question keeps surfacing: could Sánchez be next?.
With more than four months left in the season, nothing is decided. Still, the NL Cy Young race is beginning to take shape in a way fans don’t see every year.
For a snapshot of where the field stands right now, Sánchez’s numbers sit alongside a short list of major names:
Sánchez (PHI) is 5-2 with a 1.82 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings.
Paul Skenes (PIT) is 6-3 with a 2.62 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 55 innings.
Misiorowski (MIL) is 4-2 with a 1.89 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 57 innings.
Shohei Ohtani (LAD) is 4-2 with a 0.73 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 49 innings.
Chase Burns (CIN) is 6-1 with a 1.83 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 59 innings.
Chris Sale (ATL) is 7-3 with a 1.89 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 62 innings.
On the night designed to honor him with a figure from a past moment. Sánchez has to do what he’s been doing lately—turn a start into a statement. Friday against the Guardians won’t decide a season. But it could decide how many people are forced to look at his run the same way they look at the Cy Young winners the league already remembers.
Cristopher Sánchez bobblehead night Guardians Phillies NL Cy Young race 1.82 ERA 29 2/3 scoreless streak strikeouts