Cristopher Sánchez endured the toughest outing of his 2026 season on Sunday as the Philadelphia Phillies dropped the finale of their series against the Kansas City Royals.
The 29-year-old left-hander surrendered six runs in the opening inning after the Royals batted around, marking the most runs he has ever allowed in a single inning during his major league career. Philadelphia entered the day battling near the top of the National League East, making the rough start even more costly.
Sánchez came into the game as one of baseball's hottest pitchers, carrying a 10-3 record and a 2.00 ERA through 18 starts while strengthening his case for another National League Cy Young Award run.
Kansas City erased an early 1-0 deficit with an explosive first inning that featured multiple run-scoring hits before Luke Maile capped the rally with a three-run home run.
The six-run frame was the worst single inning of Sánchez's MLB career. He remained in the game but was eventually removed after 3 1/3 innings.
Sánchez finished with a final line of 3 1/3 innings, 12 hits, nine earned runs, one walk and one strikeout while allowing three home runs. The nine earned runs and three homers also established new career highs in a single game.
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Before Sunday's outing, Sánchez had been one of the National League's most consistent starters. The former Tampa Bay Rays international signing, who joined Philadelphia in a 2019 trade for Curtis Mead, made his MLB debut in 2021 and finished as the NL Cy Young runner-up in 2025 after leading the majors with 8.0 bWAR.
Philadelphia will now look for Sánchez to quickly rebound as the club continues its push atop the NL East. Despite the difficult afternoon, he remains one of the anchors of the Phillies' rotation heading into the second half of the season.
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