Cristopher Sanchez Taking Aim at MLB Records After Rewriting Phillies History

With Philadelphia Phillies history being made, Cristopher Sanchez now has his sights set on the MLB record books.

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. | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Philadelphia Phillies ace Cristopher Sanchez is in the midst of one of the most dominant stretches in the history of baseball.

He has not allowed a run since April 30 in a start against the San Francisco Giants. That has resulted in a scoreless inning streak of 44.2, which broke the franchise record set by Grover Alexander in 1911.

Sanchez went the entire month of May without allowing a run, pitching 39 innings while allowing only 25 hits and three walks. He struck out 45 of the 143 batters he faced, as opponents are overwhelmed when facing him.

With the Phillies' record book now being rewritten, what is next to accomplish? As Jayson Stark of The Athletic shared on X, he is chasing down some impressive MLB history for left-handed pitchers.

Cristopher Sanchez chasing down MLB history

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

His 44.2 innings pitched without allowing a run is the third longest by a southpaw since 1900. The only players ahead of him on that list are Carl Hubbell, who had 45.1 scoreless innings in 1933 and Doc White, who went 45 consecutive innings without allowing a run in 1904.

Should Sanchez make it through the first inning of his next start, which is currently scheduled for June 3 against the San Diego Padres, unscathed, he will set the record for consecutive scoreless innings by a left-handed pitcher.

Should he accomplish that feat, all eyes will turn toward the all-time record. That is held by Orel Hershiser, who went 59 consecutive innings without allowing a run in 1988 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Should Sanchez remain on the same schedule and there aren’t any changes to the rotation, history could be in the making on June 14 against the Milwaukee Brewers. That is, of course, unless he throws 8+ shutout innings in back-to-back starts.

Take a moment to consider what we're watching.

Longest scoreless inning streaks by LHP since 1900:

Carl Hubbell - 45 1/3 IP, 1933
Doc White - 45 IP, 1904
Cristopher Sanchez - 44 2/3 IP, 2026*

*-And he's still going!

— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) May 27, 2026

He has thrown at least eight innings in three out of his last five starts, so it is certainly possible that he could be in range to set the record on June 8 against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Of course, only the fans are looking ahead to when that history could be made. Sanchez is taking things one start at a time, focused on helping get the Phillies back into the playoff mix in the National League after a brutal start to the season.

After finishing in second place in the NL Cy Young Award voting in 2025, Sanchez is making a strong case to win the award in 2026. He currently leads the MLB with a 4.2 bWAR, 1.47 ERA, 12 starts, one complete game, one shutout, 79.1 innings pitched, 323 batters faced, an ERA+ of 288 and a FIP of 1.81.

His 0.3 HR/9 is the best mark in the NL, as is his 2.2 win probability added by pitcher, per Baseball Reference.