Philadelphia Phillies ace starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez has been incredible all season long while comfortably sitting in the Cy Young Award race.
However, Monday's start against the Kansas City Royals may have changed the course of his entire season. It also revealed an interesting trend throughout the pitcher's career.
The 29-year-old gave up a career-high nine runs in just 3 1/3 innings in a disastrous outing that ballooned his ERA from 2.00 to 2.62.
This outing in Kansas City comes just one week after a dominant seven shutout innings at home against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
When looking further into Sanchez's career numbers, a shocking split is noticeable.
At home in Philadelphia, Sanchez has posted a 2.39 ERA. On the road, his ERA shoots up to 4.17.
Interestingly enough, this issue came up previously for the Phillies during the 2024 postseason.
In their National League Division Series against the rival New York Mets, manager Rob Thomson moved around the starting rotation to ensure Sanchez would start at home.
His exceptional track record at home caused the change, but the splits are rather confusing.
The 2026 All-Star was expected to start the All-Star Game in Philadelphia this season but may have hurt his chances. However, a home start would make sense for the lefty.
If the Phillies are able to figure out this issue with Sanchez, he may be able to claw his way back into the Cy Young race. If not, this may cause some interesting strategies come October.
