When Cristopher Sánchez takes the mound Wednesday night to continue his assault on history. The 29-year-old will enter his next start riding a scoreless streak that has lasted 44 2/3 innings. It has been a remarkable run by the lefty, and he’s within reach of the all-time record.
Last Wednesday against the Padres, Sánchez tossed seven scoreless innings while allowing six hits and striking out nine. That performance moved his scoreless streak into seventh place during the live ball Era. He also passed the all-time Phillies record of 41 innings, which was set by Grover Cleveland Alexander in 1911. Most incredibly, Sánchez finished the month of May without allowing a single run over 39 innings in five starts.
The streak began on April 30 after he allowed two runs in the first inning against the Giants.
With 1 1/3 scoreless innings, Sánchez would move into fourth place all time, passing Zack Greinke’s mark of 45 2/3 set in 2015. If he goes 2 2/3 scoreless he’d move the streak into third place all-time, passing Bob Gibson’s mark of 47 innings set in 1968. Gibson’s masterful ‘68 campaign was a big part of the reason MLB lowered pitching mounds from 15 inches to 10 before the following season. Any time a player surpasses something Big Bob did during that season, it’s worth taking notice.
Cristopher Sanchez, who just finished May without allowing a single run, leads all (non two-way) pitchers with a 3.3 WAR 🇩🇴 pic.twitter.com/6AitPI8LP7 https://t.co/MCC51tWXa6
— Shawn Spradling (@Shawn_Spradling) June 1, 2026
Sánchez is staring down Orel Hershiser’s record of 59 consecutive scoreless innings set in 1988. Given how he’s pitched so far this season, there’s no reason he can’t get there.
We decided it was time to go inside the numbers of Sánchez’s remarkable streak and how it fits into the incredible 2026 campaign he has had so far.
0 — Runs allowed in the entire month of May.
0.73 — WHIP during May.
1 — Pitcher in baseball’s modern era who has recorded five consecutive starts of at least seven scoreless innings. It’s Sánchez.
3 — Walks allowed in May.
25 — Hits allowed during May.
32 — Days since he has allowed a run.
39 — Innings pitched in May, second most in baseball behind Ryne Nelson’s 39 2/3.
0.00 — Sanchez’s ERA since May 1, best in baseball (obviously).
1.06 — His FIP since May 1, second-best in baseball behind Jacob Misiorowski’s 0.51.
2.1 — fWAR generated since he last allowed a run. Best among MLB pitchers.
2.1% — Walk rate since May 1, best in baseball.
31.5% — Strikeout rate in May, fifth-best in baseball among qualified pitchers. Misiorowski leads at 44.1%.
45 — Strikeouts since May 1, third-most in baseball behind Misiorowski (49) and Reid Detmers (46).
115 — Years since Grover Cleveland Alexander set the Phillies franchise record for scoreless innings at 41. That came in 1911.
12 1/3 — Innings to match Orel Hershiser for the longest scoreless streak in MLB history.
1.47 — Season ERA for Sánchez, best in baseball.
1.80 — Season FIP for Sánchez, best in baseball.
.337 — Batting average on balls in play against Sanchez, fourth-worst among qualified starters. It’s well above the average, which means he has actually been quite unlucky this season. That’s crazy when you consider these numbers.
3.3 — Sánchez’s fWAR this season, which leads all pitchers. He’s 0.2 behind Bobby Witt Jr.’s MLB-leading mark of 3.5.
79 1/3 — Innings pitched for Sánchez this season, tops in baseball.
Sánchez is dominating right now. He’s been the best pitcher in baseball so far in 2026, with Jacob Misiorowski right on his heels. Whether he can keep the streak going or not, the run he’s been on has been historic.
We’ll see how far he can take it.
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