Cristopher Alexis Sánchez (born December 12, 1996) is a
Dominican professional
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...
for the
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...
of
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021 and was named an
All-Star
An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry.
Sports
"All-star" as a sport ...
in 2024.
Career
Tampa Bay Rays
Sánchez signed with the
Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...
as an international free agent on July 15, 2013, for a $65,000
signing bonus
A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
. He spent the 2014, 2015, and 2016 seasons with the
DSL Rays. Sánchez went 1–3 with a 7.77 ERA over 22 innings in 2014, 2–1 with a 3.54 ERA over innings in 2015, and 5–3 with a 3.06 ERA over innings in 2016. He spent the 2017 season with the
Princeton Rays
The Princeton Rays were a Minor League Baseball team in Princeton, West Virginia, operating as an Advanced Rookie-level team in the Appalachian League. The team was affiliated with several Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises, primarily the Ta ...
, going 1–6 with a 10.01 ERA over innings. Sánchez split the 2018 season between Princeton and the
Hudson Valley Renegades
The Hudson Valley Renegades are a Minor League Baseball team based in Fishkill, New York. The High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, the Renegades play in the South Atlantic League. The Renegades play their home games at Heritage Financial Pa ...
, going a combined 4–2 with a 4.50 ERA over 52 innings. He split the 2019 season between the
Bowling Green Hot Rods
The Bowling Green Hot Rods are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and play their home games at Bowling Green Ballpark, which ...
,
Charlotte Stone Crabs, and
Durham Bulls
The Durham Bulls are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. They are located in Durham, North Carolina, and play their home games at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, which opened ...
, going 4–1 with a 2.26 ERA over innings. Sánchez played for the
Dominican Republic national baseball team
The Dominican Republic national baseball team ( Spanish: ''Selección de béisbol de República Dominicana'') is the national baseball team of the Dominican Republic. The team has won the Baseball World Cup in 1948 and World Baseball Classic in 2 ...
in the
2019 WBSC Premier12.
Philadelphia Phillies
Sánchez was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for
Curtis Mead on November 20, 2019. Sánchez was added to the Phillies’
40–man roster after being acquired. He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season because of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
.
On April 19, 2021, Sánchez was promoted to the major leagues for the first time. However he was optioned down to the minors the next day without making an MLB appearance. On May 3, Sánchez was recalled to the active roster, but was again optioned down the next day without playing.
After long relievers
Chase Anderson and
David Hale were placed on the COVID list, leaving the Phillies' bullpen challenged for depth, Sánchez was recalled to the major leagues on June 6, 2021. He made his major league debut the same day, allowing one hit and striking out two batters in the final innings of a 12–6 win against the
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...
.
In June 2023, Sánchez became a regular part of the Phillies' rotation after being called up from the
Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. He made his
postseason debut later in the season on October 20 against the
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...
. He only lasted 2
1/3 innings in Game 4 of the
NLCS
The National League Championship Series (NLCS) is a Playoff format#Best-of-seven playoff, best-of-seven playoff and one of two League Championship Series comprising the penultimate round of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Major League Baseball po ...
. In 19 games (18 starts) during the 2023 season, Sánchez compiled a 3–5 record and 3.44 ERA with 96 strikeouts across innings pitched.
On June 22, 2024, Sánchez and the Phillies agreed to a four–year, $22.5 million contract extension. On June 28, 2024, Sánchez threw his career-first complete game shutout, allowing only three hits in a 2-0 win over the Miami Marlins. Sanchez was named Pitcher of the Month for June, after posting 3 wins and 0 losses, with a 1.64 ERA and 23 strikeouts across 33 innings.
In 31 games (31 starts) during the 2024 season, Sánchez compiled a 11–9 record and 3.32 ERA with 153 strikeouts across innings pitched.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Cristopher
1996 births
Living people
Baseball players from La Romana, Dominican Republic
Bowling Green Hot Rods players
Charlotte Stone Crabs players
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Australia
Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States
Dominican Republic national baseball team players
Dominican Summer League Rays players
Durham Bulls players
Hudson Valley Renegades players
Lehigh Valley IronPigs players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic
21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen
Perth Heat players
Philadelphia Phillies players
Princeton Rays players
Toros del Este players
2019 WBSC Premier12 players