Cristopher Sánchez allowed one single in the top of the first, one single in the top of the third, and then retired his next 14 batters. The Phillies lefty is in the midst of the best season of his big league career — reinforced by the four-year, $22.5 million contract extension he signed last week — but was on another level in Friday night’s 2-0 win.
Sánchez needed just 64 pitchers through six innings, 80 pitches through seven, and 92 through eight. He struck out eight and allowed just three hits. Seventy-three percent of his pitches were strikes.
It was the first complete game (and complete-game shutout) of his big league career, which was fortunate for the Phillies, considering how they were hitting.
The Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber-less lineup went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and combined for seven hits and two runs. After Bryson Stott’s fifth-inning forceout brought in the first run, they added on in the eighth. Johan Rojas, who was recalled from Lehigh Valley on Friday morning, hit a leadoff double, thanks to some aggressive baserunning, and advanced to third on a wild pitch.
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Stott scored Rojas with as sacrifice fly.
It was not their best offensive night, but Sánchez made that a moot point. He didn’t allow the Marlins to muster any offensive momentum. It was his third straight outing in which he’s pitched seven innings or more.
When he jogged back out for the ninth, his warmup song began to play. Some fans gave him a standing ovation. Sánchez needed only nine pitches to get through it. He induced a groundout, a lineout, and struck out Josh Bell to end the game.
After the final strikeout, he hunched over, slapped his hand in his glove, and let out a yell. He hugged his catcher, Garrett Stubbs. It has been a long journey for the young lefty, but he has made the most of it.
