- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,236,138
- Reaction score
- 59
PHILADELPHIA – When Don Drysdale pitched 58 straight scoreless innings in 1968 for the Dodgers, it was viewed as a streak that may never be threatened.
Twenty years later, another Dodgers ace, Orel Hershiser, did the impossible, eclipsing it with a 59-inning streak of shutout frames.
It was that type of history, and the reverence for it, that hovered in the late-spring air the night of June 3 at Citizens Bank Park.
You must be registered for see images attach
With 40,453 delighted to bear witness, a Phillies pitcher who has mastered his difficult craft better than most was poised to threaten those hallowed marks.
Cristopher Sanchez ultimately fell short. But his historic quest still landed him high on that distinguished list and with a notable accomplishment all his own.
Sanchez’s 50 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings are the most ever by a left-handed major-league pitcher.
PHILLIES" TOP PROSPECT: Aidan Miller to have back surgery, miss 6-8 weeks
“I loved every minute of it,” he would say later through an interpreter.
The end came on a two-out, seventh-inning single by San Diego's Jackson Merrill. Ty France, who had doubled, scored from second base.
And immediately that crowd stood, and cheered, and kept cheering for a minute, as home-plate umpire Hunter Wendelstedt held up play to allow Sanchez to bask in that much-deserved adulation.
“A great ovation,” Sanchez said later. “A big moment for me.”
He got the next out and exited the field to more acclaim.
You must be registered for see images
Solo homers by J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber in the bottom of the seventh put the Philllies back ahead 3-1 in what became a second straight 3-2 win over the Padres.
Scoreless innings streaks are weeks in the making, which allows them to build momentum and interest.
Sanchez had last allowed a run April 30 against the Giants. He then pitched a shutout month of May.
SHORT HOMECOMING:: Ex-Phillie Nick Castellanos released by Padres during series in Philly
And while that scoreless skein ended on June 3, it will permanently reside on that esteemed list.
In baseball’s live-ball era, which dates to 1920, only those aforementioned Dodgers have outdone Sanchez.
He is No. 5 on the all-time list, also behind the Washington Senators' Walter Johnson (55⅔ in 1913) and the Philadelphia Athletics' Jack Coombs (53 in 1910).
But when Sanchez closed a 1-2-3 first inning in this game, he surpassed the Giants’ Carl Hubbell's, who threw 45⅓ scoreless innings with the Giants in 1933, as the list’s top lefty.
“Sanchy puts himself in the history books,” interim manager Don Mattingly said. “Not only Phillies history books but a top-five guy now and the longest by a left-hander.
RECORD SETTER: Sanchez' shutout innings streak ends but best by lefty
“I know my vocabulary is probably not good enough for him right now but it’s just been amazing to watch.”
Phillies teammates treasured the accomplishment just as dearly.
Sanchez allowed four hits, struck out eight and walked one.
“This is definitely the most special moment I’ve been a part of with a starting pitcher,” catcher Realmuto said. "To be able to go that many innings without giving up a run is not something that I’m sure that I’ll see again in my playing days.”
You must be registered for see images attach
The crowd’s reaction, Realmuto added, was “awesome. That’s who our fans are. They appreciate greatness.”
The night had the feel of witnessing a possible no-hitter and the anticipation that builds, even though the zeroes Sanchez was putting in the scorebook were in the category of runs, not hits.
When that ended, it could only be appreciated and admired, two sentiments that will be as everlasting as Sanchez’s name on that list.
“Something I never imagined in my life that I would do,” Sanchez said.
Contact Kevin Tresolini at [email protected] and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: On magical night, Phillies fans laud Sanchez's record-setting effort
Continue reading...
