17 hours Ago
The Philadelphia Phillies already have one of the best pitchers in baseball in Zack Wheeler, but Cristopher Sanchez is rapidly approaching his level. Sanchez was lights-out during Thursday's start against the San Francisco Giants , racking up a career-high 12 strikeouts over seven innings. He allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and one walk while throwing 69 of his 97 pitches for strikes.
The All-Star lefty also induced a whopping 24 swinging strikes, 22 of which came on his devastating changeup. The 76% whiff rate on his changeup was the best whiff rate ever for one pitch in an MLB game (min. 25 swings) during the pitch tracking era, while his 22 changeup whiffs were also a record.
More than half of Sanchez's pitches (51.5%) were changeups, accounting for 11 of his 12 strikeouts. The Giants knew it was coming, and they still couldn't hit it.
While Sanchez was aided by the late-afternoon shadows at Citizens Bank Park, there's no denying that his changeup is one of the best pitches in baseball. The 28-year-old southpaw leads qualified pitchers in changeup usage this season (39.1%), which isn't surprising given how dominant he's been with it.
Opponents are batting just .129 against it and have fanned on 53.8% of their swings on it.
It was his best pitch last year, too, so throwing it more often has been an effective strategy. Sanchez's elite changeup has helped him go 2-0 with a 2.96 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 24.
1 innings this season. The Phillies have now won his last 11 starts dating back to last year (including playoffs). He was already an All-Star last season, but his changeup is elevating him to another level this year.
He's a good bet to make the All-Star team again and perhaps challenge for the NL Cy Young Award. His next start comes against the New York Mets in Queens next week. The Mets know what pitch to look out for, but it may not matter.
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