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[MyDaily = Reporter Kim Jin-seong] It’s easy to see why South Korea couldn’t make contact in the WBC quarterfinals.
In March, South Korea fell 0-10 in a seven-inning mercy-rule loss to the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals. The difference was Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sánchez, 30—Korea’s hitters simply couldn’t touch him.
Sánchez leans on a straightforward mix: a mid-90s four-seam fastball and a changeup. The repertoire is simple, but the movement is exceptional and he rarely leaves pitches elevated. He racks up strikes, and as the regular season has progressed his conditioning has improved, allowing him to work deeper into games. That profile has opposing clubs worried.
This season Sánchez is 5-2 in 10 starts with a 1.82 ERA. Over 64⅓ innings he’s yielded a .251 batting average against and owns a 1.20 WHIP. He doesn’t completely eliminate baserunners, but his ability to manage jams stands out. From the second inning of his May 1 start (Korean time) against the San Francisco Giants through his May 17 start against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Sánchez threw 29⅔ consecutive scoreless innings. In three May starts (local time) he posted three wins and a 0.00 ERA.
Shohei Ohtani lowered his season ERA to 0.73 on May 21 against the San Diego Padres, yet Sánchez’s recent shutout run has an even stronger impact. MLB.com noted on the 21st that Grover Alexander’s 41-inning scoreless streak by a left-hander in 1911 still stands. Sánchez is chasing a 115-year-old benchmark.
Sánchez’s 29⅔ scoreless innings are the longest streak by a Philadelphia pitcher since the mound-to-plate distance was fixed at 18.44 meters in 1983. MLB.com highlighted his “sterling changeup,” which has produced a .148 opponents’ batting average and a 49% whiff rate, calling it the headline pitch and adding, “He’s a true ace.”
When MLB.com updated its starting-pitcher rankings that day, it slotted Sánchez at No. 1. Jacob Misiorowski (Milwaukee Brewers) and Cam Schlitler (New York Yankees) were ranked second and third. Ohtani slipped to No. 4. He’s having an outstanding season, but Misiorowski and Schlitler have also been very strong.
MLB.com explained that Ohtani’s drop to No. 4 has little to do with his own performance. Through his eighth start of the season he posted a 0.82 ERA—the lowest among pitchers with at least 40 innings. Ohtani’s opponents’ batting average is just .159, helped in part by a deadly fastball/sweeper combo. MLB.com pointed out that he’s increased usage of those two pitches from 61.4% a year ago to 71.4% this season.
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