Cristopher Sánchez, a left-handed pitcher, continued his minor-league success where he left off.
The 24-year-old allowed just one run over 5 2/3 innings in his first start for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs since his major-league debut, helping the team split a doubleheader against the Rochester Red Wings on Saturday.
In six innings of work, Sánchez struck out six batters while allowing five hits and two walks. Sánchez mostly kept the Rochester offense off-balance with a mix of fastballs, sliders, and swing-and-miss changeups.
He struck out 58 batters on 88 pitches, easily his greatest pitch count of the season; his next best total was 76 pitches against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on June 1.
Sánchez got into trouble for the first time in the top of the sixth inning after cruising through five innings with little pressure.
After Mickey Moniak’s RBI single in the first inning and Sal Gozzo’s RBI single in the fifth, he entered the inning with a 2-0 lead. Jake Noll’s one-out double to right field came after a fast flyout.
The left-hander next got Brandon Snyder to fly out to right field, but Humberto Arteaga singled to center to bring in Noll and give the Red Wings their first run.
Sánchez was then benched in favor of Neftali Feliz, a seasoned right-hander. Feliz struck out Blake Swihart to close the sixth inning and then shut down Rochester 1-2-3 in the seventh to earn the save and give Sánchez the victory.
The IronPigs needed to win the second game of the doubleheader after losing 9-0 the night before after pitcher David Parkinson had a no-hitter into the sixth inning. It improved Lehigh Valley’s 2021 season record to 18-17.
Cristopher Sánchez Contract
The Philadelphia Phillies signed Cristopher Sanchez to a one-year, $701,000 deal, with $701,000 guaranteed.
Cristopher Sánchez Salary
Cristopher Sánchez receives an annual average salary of $701,000
Cristopher Sánchez Net Worth
Cristopher Sánchez has a net worth of $ 500,000 to $1,000,000