Super Sánchez: Cristopher Sánchez is Having a Cy Young-Worthy Season for the Phils

by Elias Meredith 7/23/2025 FansOnlySportz

Instagram.com (@phillies)

Nine innings, four hits, one run, no walks, twelve strikeouts. That was the stat line for Phillies Southpaw, Cristopher Sánchez, last night against the Boston Red Sox. The Phillies took game two of the series thanks to the gem tossed by Sánchez in the Phillies 4-1 victory. Last night, Sánchez proved that he was the biggest all-star snub of the year. Sánchez has contributed to a Phillies club that has one of the best starting rotations in the game right now, and three legit candidates for the NL Cy Young Award in Zach Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, and Ranger Suárez. 

Sánchez left Phillies skipper Rob Thomson in awe after he notched his third career complete game and his first of 2025. “Just a fantastic performance” Thomson said in his post game interview when speaking about Sánchez.

Sánchez tied a season-high with twelve strikeouts in the win. Usually high strikeouts led to high pitch counts, but for Sánchez. He threw only 106 pitches in his outing. Sánchez had a great feel throughout the game when to attack for the strikeout and when to play to contact, throwing 71 percent of his pitches for strikes and getting Red Sox batters to hit fifteen ground balls and only two fly balls. 

After Sánchez's complete game performance, he extended his quality start streak to nine games. In those nine games, Sánchez is 6-3 with a 1.54 ERA. He also has 64 strikeouts and 10 walks in that stretch. What is the most impressive is that Sánchez is dominating the MLB with only three pitches in his arsenal. 

Sánchez has a sinker that gets up to 98 mph, a devastating changeup that has one of the highest whiff rates in all of baseball among starting pitchers and the fourth highest run value in baseball according to MLB’s Baseball Savant, and a solid slider that provides a different look for hitters that are already trouble squaring up two pitches, yet alone three from linky lefty.

“He has really grown up the last couple years.” Thomson said when speaking about the improvement of Sánchez throughout his career. “He’s evolved into an ace for us.” Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper said when speaking about Sánchez’s evolution as a pitcher.

Sánchez is now 9-2 with a 2.40 ERA, 134 strikeouts and 32 walks. He has put together a Cy Young-caliber season, and last night is the type of performance that the Phillies need from Sánchez to make a deep playoff run in the 2025.

Thank you for reading!

Elias Meredith (@EAM_55)