Only two pitchers in the Live Ball Era have had a longer scoreless streak than Cristopher Sánchez. Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park, the Philadelphia Phillies ace blanked the San Diego Padres into the seventh inning to extend his shutout streak to 50 ⅔ innings. Only Orel Hershiser (59 innings in 1988) and Don Drysdale (58 innings in 1968) have had longer streaks since 1920.

“My vocabulary is probably not good enough for him, but he’s just been amazing to watch,” Phillies manager Don Mattingly said after Wednesday’s win (PHI 3, SD 2).

The streak came to an end at 50 ⅔ innings when Jackson Merrill poked a two-out RBI single to left field in the seventh inning. That drove in Ty France, who doubled down the left field line as the previous batter. It is the first run Sánchez has allowed since the first inning against the San Francisco Giants on April 30.

Sánchez broke Carl Hubbell’s Live Ball Era record for consecutive scoreless innings by a lefty when he completed the first inning on Wednesday. Here the record-breaking out:

Sánchez moved ahead of Bob Gibson and into sole possession of the third-longest scoreless streak of the Live Ball Era when he completed the third inning. In his previous start last Wednesday, he broke Grover Alexander’s 115-year-old franchise record of 41 consecutive scoreless innings. Sánchez faced the Padres in that game as well, albeit at Petco Park in San Diego.

All told, Sánchez held an admittedly weak Padres lineup to four hits and one walk in seven innings Wednesday night. He struck out eight and has gone at least seven innings in an MLB-leading six starts this season. 

Here are the longest scoreless streaks in the Live Ball Era (since 1920):

If we include the Dead Ball Era (prior to 1920), Sánchez’s streak is fifth all-time. Walter Johnson went 55 ⅔ innings without allowing a run for the Washington Senators in 1913, and Jack Coombs went 53 scoreless innings with the 1910 Philadelphia Athletics. Only those two, plus Hershiser and Drysdale, are ahead of Sánchez in MLB history.

In May, Sánchez joined Hershiser as the only non-openers in baseball history to start five games in a calendar month and not allow a run. Sánchez threw at least seven innings in each of his five May starts and was named the NL’s Pitcher of the Month. 

Sánchez, 29, was the NL Cy Young runner-up behind Paul Skenes last season, when he threw 202 innings with a 2.50 ERA and led all pitchers with 8.0 WAR, per Baseball Reference’s calculations. Wednesday’s start gives Sánchez a 1.46 ERA through 13 starts and an MLB-leading 86 ⅓ innings this season.

The Phillies acquired Sánchez as a minor leaguer in a 1-for-1 trade with the Tampa Bay Rays on Nov. 20, 2019. Infielder Curtis Mead went to the Rays in the deal. Sánchez made his MLB debut in June 2021.

Philadelphia signed Sánchez to a six-year, $107 million contract extension in March, ensuring he will remain one of the biggest bargains in baseball.