Cy Young-Hopeful Cristopher Sanchez Tosses Gem in Phillies 2-0 Victory
Aug 3, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (L) slaps hands with second base Bryson Stott (R) after his play to end the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
The lights went dark, the Undertaker’s iconic bells rang throughout Citizens Bank Park, and Jhoan Duran stepped out of the bullpen to a Latin mix that had every fan in the stadium on their feet. And somehow, that was not the best part of Sunday night’s defensive masterclass of a game.
Edmundo Sosa made a terrific play at third to save a run, Bryson Stott proved his gold glove case with a diving stop up the middle, and yet Detroit Tigers’ Riley Greene made the two best plays of the night. It was nothing short of a pitcher’s duel between 28-year-old Cristopher Sanchez and 41-year-old Charlie Morton.
Sanchez was given the opportunity to display his Cy Young case on national television for ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball broadcast, and he did not disappoint. Sanchez has been one of, if not the, most underrated pitcher in the game, and his eight innings of shutout baseball certainly helped his case. The southpaw earned himself his 10th win of the season and lowered his ERA to 2.40, which ranks 5th in baseball.
The 2-0 victory in Sunday’s rubber match sealed a series victory for the Phillies against the AL Central division leaders, who are tied for the second-best record in MLB.
It was quite an impressive night from the Phillies’ defense and pitching, which earned them a half-game lead in the NL East.
Sanchez was phenomenal, but his eight innings of five hits, no runs, one walk, and six strikeouts would not be as impressive if it weren’t for the gloves that surround him — his glove included.
In the fourth with a 1-0 lead, Sanchez found himself with traffic on the bases but managed to get a weak grounder back to the mound. Not exactly a routine double-play, especially for pitchers, but he managed to get himself out of the inning unscathed. Even baseball’s best pitcher, Tarik Skubal, was impressed as he was being interviewed during the inning.
His defense had his back in the seventh inning when he ended up in a similar position: runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Trea Turner showed off his range for a ground ball, but there was no chance for a double play, and with runners on the corners, the infield moved in.
Sosa made an excellent play to cut down a run, and two batters later, Sanchez retired Wenceel Perez to end the seventh.
Duran entered in the ninth with a 2-0 lead, thanks to Kyle Schwarber‘s solo bomb in the eighth.
His entrance may never grow weary of Phillies fans.
Duran made quick work of his second appearance in a Phils uniform, though not as quick as his four-pitch appearance on Friday night. The first batter he faced, Duran threw four pitches 100+ mph. He then threw a near 100 mph splitter, which forced a routine ground-ball to Sosa. Sosa took two steps and fired the ball over to first about 3 feet too high. Bryce Harper jumped up and made an excellent play on an overthrow to keep the ninth inning clean.
For Duran’s last batter, it seemed like he was just showing off. All six pitches were over 100 mph, and all six were fastballs. His fifth pitch reached 103.3 mph, which, per Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic, was the fastest pitch in Citizens Bank Park history. It’s been three days since he put on a Phillies uniform, and he’s already making history.
In two appearances for the Phillies, Duran has collected two saves — both clean, 1-2-3 innings.
Props to Dave Dombrowski.
Sean Regenye
Sean Regenye is a sophomore broadcast journalism major at Penn State University. He is a die-hard Philly sports fan and loves baseball, especially the Phillies.
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