Cristopher Sánchez
Dominican baseball player (born 1996)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cristopher Alexis Sánchez (born December 12, 1996) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021 and was named an All-Star in 2024.
| Cristopher Sánchez | |||||||||||||||
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Sánchez warming up in 2023 | |||||||||||||||
| Philadelphia Phillies – No. 61 | |||||||||||||||
| Pitcher | |||||||||||||||
| Born: December 12, 1996 La Romana, Dominican Republic | |||||||||||||||
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |||||||||||||||
| MLB debut | |||||||||||||||
| June 6, 2021, for the Philadelphia Phillies | |||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics (through 2025 season) | |||||||||||||||
| Win–loss record | 30–21 | ||||||||||||||
| Earned run average | 3.24 | ||||||||||||||
| Strikeouts | 509 | ||||||||||||||
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Career
Tampa Bay Rays
Sánchez signed with the Tampa Bay Rays as an international free agent on July 15, 2013, for a $65,000 signing bonus.[1] He spent the 2014, 2015, and 2016 seasons with the DSL Rays.[2] Sánchez went 1–3 with a 7.77 ERA over 22 innings in 2014, 2–1 with a 3.54 ERA over 20+1⁄3 innings in 2015, and 5–3 with a 3.06 ERA over 61+2⁄3 innings in 2016. He spent the 2017 season with the Princeton Rays, going 1–6 with a 10.01 ERA over 38+2⁄3 innings. Sánchez split the 2018 season between Princeton and the Hudson Valley Renegades, going a combined 4–2 with a 4.50 ERA over 52 innings. He split the 2019 season between the Bowling Green Hot Rods, Charlotte Stone Crabs, and Durham Bulls, going 4–1 with a 2.26 ERA over 75+2⁄3 innings.[3]
Philadelphia Phillies
Sánchez was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for Curtis Mead on November 20, 2019.[4][5] Sánchez was added to the Phillies’ 40-man roster after being acquired.[6] He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[7]
On April 19, 2021, Sánchez was promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[8] However, he was optioned down to the minors the next day without pitching in the majors.[9] On May 3, Sánchez was recalled to the active roster but was again optioned down the next day without playing.[10] After long relievers Chase Anderson and David Hale were placed on the COVID-19 injured list, leaving the Phillies' bullpen lacking pitchers, Sánchez was recalled to the major leagues on June 6.[11] He made his major league debut that afternoon, allowing one hit and striking out two batters in the final 1+1⁄3 innings of a 12–6 win against the Washington Nationals.[12] He returned to the minors after that game, pitching six more times in the majors in 2021.[13] Sánchez also split 2022 between Philadelphia and Triple-A.[2]
In June 2023, Sánchez became a regular part of the Phillies' rotation after being called up from the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.[14] In 19 games (18 starts), Sánchez compiled a 3–5 record and 3.44 ERA with 96 strikeouts across 99+1⁄3 innings pitched for Philadelphia.[2] He made his postseason debut later in the season on October 20 against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He only lasted 2+1⁄3 innings in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.[15]
On June 22, 2024, Sánchez and the Phillies agreed to a four-year, $22.5 million contract extension.[16] On June 28, he threw his first career complete game shutout, allowing only three hits in a 2–0 win over the Miami Marlins.[17] Sánchez was named National League (NL) Pitcher of the Month for June, after posting 3 wins and 0 losses, with a 1.64 ERA and 23 strikeouts across 33 innings.[18] He was named to the MLB All-Star Game.[19] In 31 games (31 starts) during the 2024 season, Sánchez compiled a 11–9 record and 3.32 ERA with 153 strikeouts across 181+2⁄3 innings pitched.
Despite pitching well, Sánchez was not named to the 2025 All-Star Game, though the team gave him his $50,000 All-Star bonus.[20][21] On July 22, he pitched a complete game against the Boston Red Sox, recording the win after allowing only one run and striking out 12.[22] In 32 games (32 starts) during the 2025 season, Sánchez compiled a 13–5 record and 2.50 ERA with 212 strikeouts across 202 innings pitched. Sánchez placed second in NL Cy Young Award voting behind Paul Skenes.[23] In Game 1 of the NL Division Series, Sánchez struck out 8 in 5+2⁄3 innings, but Philadelphia lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers.[24]
On March 22, 2026, Sánchez and the Phillies agreed to a six-year, $107 million contract extension.[25][26]
International career
Sánchez pitched for the Dominican Republic national baseball team in the 2019 WBSC Premier12. He allowed four runs, including a home run to future teammate Alec Bohm, in a loss to the United States.[27][28] Sánchez returned to the Dominican Republic team for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. He had a four-strikeout inning against Nicaragua, with the leadoff batter reaching on a wild pitch. He allowed 3 runs in 1+1⁄3 innings.[29] He then earned a win in the quarterfinals against South Korea, striking out 8 in five innings in a 10–0 win.[30][31]