Cristopher Sanchez Makes Remarkable Phillies History Against Padres

Philadelphia Phillies history has been made by Cristopher Sanchez.

May 27, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (61) delivers during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez has been performing at a level on the mound that the franchise hasn’t seen in over a century.

He took a 37.2-inning scoreless streak into his start against the San Diego Padres on May 27. Franchise history was within reach, with the record for most consecutive innings without allowing a run being 41 by Grover Alexander in 1911.

That record has now been rewritten. Sanchez worked through the first four innings against the Padres without surrendering a run, pushing his streak to 41.2 innings, which puts him atop the record book by himself.

As shared by Matt Gelb of The Athletic on X, that is the longest streak on record since 1983 for a Phillies pitcher, which dates back to when the current distance of the pitcher’s mound was established.

Cristopher Sanchez makes Phillies history with scoreless streak

May 27, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (61) smiles as he stands on the mound during the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Sanchez set a team record for the most consecutive scoreless innings. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The Padres did threaten Sanchez through his first four innings of work. They recorded four hits and had a runner reach second base in three out of the four innings. But, they were unable to scratch anything across, becoming the latest team to have no answer for the dominant lefty.

The last time that Sanchez gave up a run was April 30 in the first game of the doubleheader against the San Francisco Giants. They scored two runs off him in the top of the first inning, and no one has been able to score against him since.

In the four starts leading into the matchup with San Diego, Sanchez threw 32 scoreless innings, including a complete game shutout of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He struck out 36 of the 116 batters faced during that span, while allowing only 19 hits and three walks. Only two extra-base hits, both doubles, were surrendered.

There it is. Cristopher Sánchez has pitched 41 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings, a Phillies record since at least 1893, when the current mound distance was established.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) May 27, 2026

Sanchez has thrown at least 6.2 innings in five consecutive starts, working deeper into games to help keep the bullpen from being taxed. That was an issue early in the year for Philadelphia, but it has not been as worrisome since Don Mattingly took over as interim manager.

At the time of this writing and publishing, Sanchez had completed five shutout innings against the Padres, allowing five hits and striking out seven. With 81 pitches thrown, working into the seventh inning for six consecutive starts could be a tall order.

With his streak now at 42.2 scoreless innings in a row, his attention will turn to the all-time scoreless innings streak. Orel Hershiser holds that record, as he went 59 straight innings without allowing a run with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1988.