Phillies Trio Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler, Jesus Luzardo Can Make MLB History

MLB history could be made by the Philadelphia Phillies starting pitching trio.

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

Coming into the MLB season, the biggest strength for the Philadelphia Phillies was expected to be their starting rotation.

There were some struggles in the back end, with Aaron Nola not throwing the ball well over the first few months and the No. 5 spot in the rotation being a black hole. But he and rookie Andrew Painter have found their stride over the last few weeks to stabilize the last two spots in the rotation.

That has been an incredible development for the Phillies, because the rest of their rotation has been dominant. At this point, people can refer to Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler or Jesus Luzardo as the ace of the staff, and no one would bat an eye.

That trio has done a lot of the heavy lifting for Philadelphia this season on the mound and has stepped up time and time again. Given how much success they have had, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that they are on pace to make some incredible MLB history.

Phillies trio could make impressive MLB history

Aug 30, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) delivers during the first inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Thus far this season, Sanchez has a .762 winning percentage and 10.27 K/9 ratio. Luzardo has a win percentage of .737 with a K/9 of 11.13, while Wheeler is at .706 and 10.76, respectively.

As shared by OptaSTATS on X, there has never been a set of three teammates, with a minimum of 20 games started apiece, to all finish with a win percentage of at least .700 and a K/9 ratio of 10.00 or better.

This is why, despite so many other shortcomings on the roster, some analysts and evaluators are not overlooking the Phillies as a World Series contender. When a team has starting pitching of that caliber, anything can happen in a series, especially if Sanchez, Wheeler and Luzardo are taking the ball for more than half the series.

Those three have been excellent, and the starting pitching depth is even more impressive now that interim manager Don Mattingly can count on Nola and Painter to consistently perform when it is their turn through the rotation.

For the @Phillies so far this year:

Sánchez: .762 win pct, 10.27 K/9
Luzardo: .737 win pct, 11.13 K/9
Wheeler: .706 win pct, 10.76 K/9

Never in MLB history have 3 teammates each finished with a .700+ win pct & 10.00+ K/9 in the same season (min. 20 starts each). pic.twitter.com/YisPUuhuOC

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) September 8, 2026

It would not be a surprise to see Sanchez, Wheeler and Luzardo appear on some National Leauge Cy Young Award ballots at the end of the regular season. All three of them are deserving of recognition for how well they have performed thus far in 2026.

Sanchez currently leads the MLB with 7.7 bWAR and is first in the NL with 16 victories. He and Luzardo became only the third set of left-handed teammates to record back-to-back seasons of 200+ strikeouts apiece.

Both of them have thrown one complete-game shutout this season, which is tied for the most in MLB. Luzardo has a 6.4 bWAR, and Wheeler has a 4.5, getting back on track after a tough patch through August.

Sign up for our free newsletter to receive the latest news and updates!