It isn’t often that a Phillies pitcher gives up a game-tying run and receives a standing ovation so long and loud it can be heard all the way to Center City. But it isn’t often that a pitcher accomplishes what Cristopher Sanchez did over the last month or so. The gifted Phillies left-hande r ran his team-record scoreless streak to 50 2/3 innings – fifth-best of all-time – before it ended in the team’s 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday night. Sanchez went all of May – and six innings of June – without giving up a run. When he finally did, the Citizens Bank Park crowd of 40,453 rose to its feet and saluted him for more than a minute. “That felt incredible,” the 29-year-old Dominican said with Diego D’Aniello, the team’s Spanish-language translator, by his side. “There was so much going on in my mind at that point. But I just tried to stay calm and focused. I’ll be forever grateful to these fans and this city. The best fans in the world. Whether I’m here or not, they’ll forever be the best fans in baseball.” Sanchez began the game with six scoreless innings, passing Hall of Famer Bob Gibson (47 consecutive scoreless innings in 1968) in the third inning. The crowd was captivated not only by the close game – the Phils took a 1-0 lead on doubles by Bryson Stott and Adolis Garcia in the fifth – but also by Sanchez’ historic climb. “You could feel it every inning,” manager Don Mattingly said. “They knew what was going on.” Pitching with a 1-0 lead, Sanchez got the first two outs in the seventh. He then gave up a double down the left-field line to Ty France and a game-tying base hit to left to Jackson Merrill as the streak ended. After the crowd stopped cheering, Sanchez got a fly ball to left for the third out. He punched his glove in frustration as he walked off the mound. Later, he admitted that there were times he thought about the streak during games. But at home, he asked his family not to talk to him about it. Clearly, it meant something to him – as it should have. “I enjoyed it a lot,” he said. “I loved every minute of it.” After seeing Sanchez finish second in the NL Cy Young race last season, teammates have come to expect greatness from him. “Nothing against the streak or anything, but he’s been doing it for so long, it feels like he’s been on a streak the last couple of years,” Bryce Harper said before the game. “It’s just all come together for him and it’s a lot of fun to be part of. It’s really cool.” Though the streak ended with the game-tying run in the top of the seventh, Sanchez was still able to get the win. So many times over the last two seasons, he’s picked up his teammates on nights when the bats were quiet. On Wednesday night, when Sanchez needed a pick-me-up after the streak ended, his batterymate, J.T. Realmuto, and team power boss Kyle Schwarber were there with solo homers in the bottom of the seventh to put the Phils up by two runs. They needed both homers because reliever Brad Keller gave up a run in the eighth as the Padres made it a one-run game before Jhoan Duran closed it out. “I was still kicking myself for calling that fastball to Merrill,” Realmuto said of the streak-breaking hit. “So, I was happy to get in the box and put a good swing on one. “This was definitely the most special run I’ve been a part of with a starting pitcher. It’s not something I’m sure I’ll see again in my playing days. Definitely something I’ll remember.” Before Merrill’s RBI hit, Sanchez had not allowed a run since the first inning of his April 30 start against San Francisco. Only Orel Hershiser (59 innings in 1988), Don Drysdale (58 innings in 1968) and Walter Johnson (55 2/3 innings in 1913) and Jack Coombs (53 innings in 1910) have longer scoreless streaks than Sanchez, who is tops all-time among left-handers. The Phillies have beaten the Padres five times in the last week – Sanchez has two of those wins – to improve to a season-best three games over .500 at 32-29. Sanchez is 7-2 and leads the majors with a 1.46 ERA. Earlier on Wednesday, he was named National League Pitcher of the Month for May. He pitched 39 scoreless innings over five starts in the month. He struck out 45 and walked just three. On Wednesday night, he started off June with seven innings of four-hit ball. He walked just one and struck out eight. Maybe a new streak starts Monday night in Toronto. “Sanchie put himself in the history books, the Phillies history book, the longest by a lefty,” Mattingly said. “My vocabulary isn’t good enough for him right now, but it’s been amazing to watch.” And amazing to live. “This is something I never imagined in my life that I would do,” Sanchez said. “Thanks to God and the work we put in here, we were able to make this happen.” ...read more read less