Sánchez breaks – Cristopher Sánchez retired Jackson Merrill to end the fourth inning in Wednesday’s Padres game, breaking the Phillies’ 115-year-old record for the longest scoreless innings streak by any Phillies pitcher since 1893. The four innings he recorded brought his tot
When Cristopher Sánchez got Jackson Merrill to end the fourth inning on Wednesday against the Padres, it wasn’t just another out. It was the moment the Phillies’ 115-year-old mark finally cracked.
With Merrill retired. Sánchez officially surpassed Hall of Famer Grover Alexander for the longest scoreless innings streak by any Phillies pitcher since 1893. when the mound was moved to its current distance. Sánchez’s scoreless run now sits at 41 2/3 innings (and counting), eclipsing Alexander’s 41-inning streak as a rookie in 1911.
It didn’t come easy, not with the Padres threatening at the exact spots that matter. First came a loud 339-foot flyout to end the third inning off the bat of Padres first baseman Gavin Sheets. Then in the fourth. Manny Machado started the inning with a towering fly ball to left field. pulling left fielder Edmundo Sosa into a sprint back to the wall. The ball hung long enough to land on the warning track, settling into a 356-foot flyout.
Two batters later, Ramón Laureano ripped a two-out double and put a runner in scoring position with the streak hanging in the balance. Sánchez still delivered. He got Merrill to roll a ball to second baseman Bryson Stott for the record-clinching out, and just like that, the streak kept going.
Sánchez’s record-setting run dates back to the second inning of his April 30 start against the Giants. One way to measure how far back the last run against him goes: the last time a team scored off him came just a few hours before the 76ers tipped off across the street for Game 6 of their first-round NBA playoff series against the Celtics.
Since then, the Phillies have changed a lot, but not the numbers tied to Sánchez’s arm. Co-ace Zack Wheeler had made only one start by that point—he has since gone 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA in six starts. Interim manager Don Mattingly was wrapping up his first series at the helm. and the Phillies were 10-19 at the time.
What’s stayed consistent is the streak. Here are the five longest scoreless innings streaks by Phillies pitchers since 1893:
1. Cristopher Sánchez (2026): 41 2/3 IP (through four innings Wednesday)
2. Grover Alexander (1911): 41 IP
3. Cliff Lee (2011): 34 IP
4t. Larry Andersen (1984): 32 2/3 IP
4t. Turk Farrell (1957-58): 32 2/3 IP
Sánchez still has ground to cover if he wants to reach the all-time mark. That record belongs to Dodgers legend Orel Hershiser, who went 59 straight innings without allowing a run in 1988.
Cristopher Sánchez Phillies Padres scoreless innings streak Grover Alexander Jackson Merrill Manny Machado Edmundo Sosa Ramón Laureano Bryson Stott Orel Hershiser 1893 mound distance