NEWS: Phillies southpaw Cristopher Sanchez wins NL Player of the Week

Cristopher Sánchez was a beacon of light amid the darkness of the Phillies recent slide that saw them near last place in the NL East.

The southpaw from the Dominican Republic continues to emerge as one of the most dependable arms in the Philadelphia Phillies rotation, earning National League Player of the Week honors after a dominant stretch on the mound.

Sanchez, 29, was nearly untouchable over two starts, going 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA while striking out 17 batters across 15 innings. Sánchez has carried that momentum throughout the 2026 season, posting a 4-2 record with a 2.11 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 55.1 innings.

After coming in second in Cy Young voting in 2025—when he finished 13-5 with a 2.50 ERA and established himself as a reliable starter—he has taken another leap this year.

Philadelphia has leaned heavily on Sánchez amid a tightly contested NL East race, and he has rewarded the club with consistency, durability, and swing-and-miss stuff. Once viewed as a depth piece, Sánchez has become a valuable weapon in a Phillies rotation built for October.

His recent dominance also helped pull the Phillies out of a horrific slump, stabilizing the rotation and sparking a return to winning baseball after the club had dropped nine of 11 games.

Ryannwiki, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; LatinoBaseball.com illustration