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Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez and Pirates' Paul Skenes expected to pitch in Monday's game

Aug 17, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez (61) is showered by teammates after pitching a complete game against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

  • Phillies

Everyone's favorite young MLB pitching phenom will make his 2025 Grapefruit League debut on Monday.

Oh, and Pittsburgh's Paul Skenes will pitch as well.

Cristopher Sanchez's All-Star season was one of the Phillies' best surprises in 2024. The lefty posted a 3.32 ERA, 3.00 FIP, and 1.24 WHIP over 181.2 innings in the regular season, with two complete games and one shutout.

Sanchez finished tenth in NL Cy Young voting, and manager Rob Thomson trusted him enough to start the second game of the Phils' NLDS against the Mets. (The only game the Phillies won in the series, you may recall.)

"He’s come so far,” said Thomson about Sanchez last summer. "Now, he’s a dominant pitcher in major league baseball. He’d be a number one on a lot of teams."

Paul Skenes, meanwhile, was nothing short of sensational as a 22-year-old rookie last season. His numbers were ridiculous: 23 starts, 133 innings, with a 1.96 ERA, 2.44 FIP, and 0.95 WHIP. Skenes struck out 170 batters and walked just 32.

"Unicorn," said ex-Phillie and current Pirate Andrew McCutchen on Friday, when asked to describe Skenes' pitching arsenal in one word. "It’s something you don’t see every day. You can’t really compare it to much of anything. It’s unique in itself. It’s the one percent of the one percent."

© Brad Penner | 2024 Sep 28

In terms of February baseball, a Sanchez/Skenes matchup is about as fun as it gets. Sanchez allowed three earned runs in 11.2 innings against the Pirates last season. Skenes has yet to face the Phillies. 

Fans may want to tune in to at least the first inning or two of this one.

 



author

John Foley

Before joining OnPattison.com, John Foley was a Phillies beat writer for PHLY Sports and the founder of a popular independent Phillies newsletter. He has provided nontraditional local sports coverage since 2013. Foley grew up in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. He's a proud product of the Philadelphia public school system, a Penn State grad, and a Georgetown Law alum. A licensed attorney, he sits on the board of the Papermill Food Hub, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to helping families in need throughout the city. Find him on your favorite social media: @2008philz.

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