Philly Leader

PHILADELPHIA -- Last fall, the Phillies waited until after Game 3 of the NLCS to announce that Cristopher Sánchez would start Game 4 in Arizona. There had been talk about it being either Sánchez or Taijuan Walker.

There will be no waiting and wondering about Sánchez’s postseason status this year. He is going to pitch in October. He is going to start. The only question is when? And how many times? Sánchez dazzled again in Sunday afternoon’s 2-1 walk-off victory over the Mets at Citizens Bank Park. J.T. Realmuto’s two-out single to right-center field against Edwin Díaz scored Nick Castellanos from second base, winning the game and cutting the Phillies’ magic number to win the NL East to six with 13 games to play. It then dropped to five on Sunday night after the Braves lost to the Dodgers.

“Every opportunity that I’m given, I’m just going to be ready to take it and do the best I can,” Sánchez said via the team’s interpreter. “It doesn’t matter if it’s going to be starting or relieving. However they think that I’m the best fit for the game, I’ll just be ready and I’ll give my all. We’ve just got to stay focused on our goal this year, which is winning the World Series.”

Sánchez allowed six hits and one run in seven-plus innings, walking one and striking out seven. His only mistake came in the eighth when he threw a 2-2 slider to Tyrone Taylor, who hit a solo home run to left-center field to give the Mets a 1-0 lead.

“Everything, honestly,” Realmuto said when asked what impressed him most about Sánchez. “He did such a good job. He attacked the strike zone, his stuff was good, he located, he was able to mix speeds well. He was really able to get the fastball in on the righties, which I think is key for him. He located that well early in the game, and that just helps make his changeup and slider that much better.”

Really, it was more of the same for Sánchez. He is 10-9 with a 3.24 ERA in 29 starts this season. He entered Sunday tied with Kansas City’s Cole Ragans with 4.6 fWAR, which ranked fourth-best among pitchers.

Sánchez threw a shutout against the Marlins on June 28th to cap an incredible month in which he went 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA earning both NL Pitcher of the Month honors and a four-year $22.5 million contract extension. He made his first NL All-Star team in July and tossed a complete game against Nationals on August 17th.

Sánchez has shown no signs of tiring either; instead he has shown improvement as his sinker averaged higher speeds recently compared with earlier starts this season.

“He’s getting better and better it feels like,” Realmuto said.“His stuff is also ticking up as his start goes; it feels like he gets better later in-game which is unique.”

The numbers indicate strong performance heading into postseason where there could be discussions around having him start potentially crucial games considering his impressive stats at home compared with away performances this season - something both player & management are aware needs addressing before finalizing rotations.

“We haven’t really gotten there yet," manager Rob Thomson stated regarding setting up postseason rotation plans.“Once we get-in hopefully we'll figure out those details."

But looking back over past seasons shows significant growth since joining Phillies roster - making fans confident seeing him pitch during high-stakes matches now having gained valuable experience along way preparing himself further opportunities ahead.

“Experience plays big part here” added Sanchez reflecting upon journey so far "I’ve been here two years already postseason seen lot things think prepared next shot get"