Cristopher Sanchez Had Historic Home Streak Stopped by Astros

Cristopher Sanchez had been dominating for the Philadelphia Phillies at home games before the Houston Astros got to him.

Sep 9, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez (61) throws a pitch during the second inning against the Houston Astros at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez has been one of the most productive hurlers this season.

Through 30 starts, Sanchez leads the MLB with 7.6 bWAR and 17 victories. He is also tied for the MLB lead with one complete game and one shutout this season, putting together another Cy Young-caliber campaign.

In 187.1 innings pitched, he has struck out 210 batters and has a strong 2.79 ERA with a 2.72 FIP. He has also made some history in combination with fellow left-handed starter Jesus Luzardo, becoming only the third pair of southpaws to record back-to-back seasons of 200+ strikeouts.

That wasn’t the only history that Sanchez was chasing during this season. As shared by OptaSTATS on X, he was putting together one of the best campaigns a starting pitcher has ever had at home in MLB history.

Astros snap incredible Cristopher Sanchez streak

Sep 4, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (61) throws a pitch against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Entering his start against the Houston Astros on Sept. 9, Sanchez had made 17 starts at Citizens Bank Park this season. In all 17 of those outings, he threw at least five innings and recorded at least five strikeouts.

The only pitchers who had recorded longer streaks were Randy Johnson, with 21, and Curt Schilling, with 18. Both were accomplished in 2002 as members of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Disappointingly, those streaks aren’t going to be surpassed by Sanchez. His streak was snapped at 17 after the Houston Astros had a strong night against him at the plate. The talented lefty gave up 10 hits, two of which were home runs by Isaac Paredes and Cam Smith, for six earned runs.

He managed to get through six innings of work, keeping one half of the necessary plateaus to keep the streak going, but he wasn’t able to get the five strikeouts, as he recorded only three in what ended up being an 11-7 victory.

The @Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez has thrown at least 5.0 innings & 5 strikeouts in all 17 home games this season.

The last MLB pitchers to have a longer home streak to begin a campaign were Randy Johnson (21) & Curt Schilling (18) in 2002. pic.twitter.com/PYOeDkV4DF

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 9, 2026

While it was from Sanchez’s best start at Citizens Bank Park, it was encouraging to see the team still come away with a victory when he didn’t have his best stuff.

Even with the underwhelming performance, Sanchez still has incredible production at home this season. He has made 18 starts at Citizens Bank Park, going 12-2 with a 2.21 ERA across 114 innings pitched, totaling 125 strikeouts.

His production is key to the Phillies making any noise this year in the postseason. The starting rotation is their biggest strength, with Sanchez dominating, along with Zack Wheeler and Luzardo all season long.