Sánchez eyes – Cristopher Sánchez will take the mound Wednesday afternoon with a chance to make Phillies history by extending a scoreless streak that is already 37 2/3 innings strong. He’s only 3 1/3 innings behind Alexander, but to break the franchise record he must finish
SAN DIEGO — Cristopher Sánchez will have his eyes fixed on the Phillies’ franchise record book when he takes the mound Wednesday afternoon.
The math is unforgiving. Sánchez is only 3 1/3 innings behind Alexander, but to break the mark he must complete four full scoreless innings. If he reaches 3 2/3 innings without allowing a run and then yields a two-out run in the fourth. he won’t be credited with 3 2/3 scoreless innings for the purpose of the franchise streak—he would be credited only with three.
Even if he clears that hurdle on Wednesday, the all-time standard sits farther down the road. That belongs to Dodgers legend Orel Hershiser, who went 59 straight innings without allowing a run in 1988.
Sánchez’s chance is tempting for another reason: he could match what Hershiser also managed in a different way. Hershiser is the only pitcher with at least 30 innings to go a full calendar month without allowing an earned run. He did it in 1988. during a historic streak in which his September run built into a six-start stretch that many still point to as among the greatest in MLB history across the month.
The outline of that month is specific. Hershiser began September with five consecutive complete-game shutouts. The one thing that stopped him from a sixth straight shutout was the Dodgers’ inability to score a run. In his sixth and final September start. Hershiser went 10 scoreless innings in an eventual 16-inning loss. then finished the month with 55 scoreless innings.
Sánchez is entering his fifth and final start of May against the Padres. Through the first four, he has totaled 36 strikeouts over 32 innings without allowing a run. He’s just the fourth pitcher since at least 1900 to tally at least 36 strikeouts and 32 scoreless innings across any span of four starts. joining Clayton Kershaw (2014 and ’15). Ray Culp (1968) and Ed Walsh (1910).
There’s more streak structure behind the numbers, too. Sánchez is also the first pitcher since Kershaw in 2015 to turn in four consecutive scoreless starts of at least seven innings apiece. He’s the first Phillie to do so since Alexander in 1911.
For all the history on the line, the questions keep narrowing to the same place: how does he look against these hitters right now? When it comes to the current Padres lineup, there’s no shortage of evidence that the matchup won’t be automatic.
Fernando Tatis Jr. is 5-for-11 (.455) with 1 HR and 2 strikeouts. Manny Machado is 3-for-11 (.273) with 1 strikeout. Xander Bogaerts is 4-for-8 (.500) with 2 strikeouts. Jackson Merrill is 1-for-6 (.167) with 2 strikeouts. Ramón Laureano is 2-for-7 (.286) with 4 strikeouts. Miguel Andujar is 4-for-6 (.667) with 0 strikeouts.
Some of the names read quieter: Gavin Sheets is 1-for-3 (.333). Bryce Johnson is 0-for-3 with 1 strikeout. But Freddy Fermin makes the point the hardest way. He is 2-for-2 with 2 home runs.
And that’s where Wednesday becomes more than a streak watch. Sánchez doesn’t just have to keep the scoreboard clean long enough to rewrite the Phillies record history. He has to do it in a matchup that already includes hitters who have found him—even if they’ve been limited. The difference between three innings and four full scoreless innings could come down to a single moment. with the franchise mark waiting directly behind it.
Cristopher Sánchez Phillies scoreless innings streak Alexander Orel Hershiser franchise record Padres Freddy Fermin Fernando Tatis Jr. Manny Machado Xander Bogaerts