PHILADELPHIA — Cristopher Sanchez had a feeling the meeting early Saturday afternoon might be good news.
The Phillies’ left-handed starting pitcher felt he’d assembled an All-Star worthy first half of the season. He’d watched seven teammates get selected to the Midsummer Classic in Arlington, Texas, and knew the days were dwindling if he was going to meet his objective of getting an invite.
So when manager Rob Thomson called a meeting with his teammates, he started to get excited.
“I felt something,” Sanchez said through a translator, “but I wasn’t sure.”
Soon after Thomson told the team that Sanchez would go, giving the Phillies a record-tying eight representatives and a record-setting five pitchers, the 27-year-old felt the room erupt around him, the popular clubhouse presence embraced by his teammates.
“I’m super proud of him, knowing where he’s come from, how far he’s come and what he’s accomplished, and not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well,” Thomson said. “And the room loves him. So it was pretty special.”
Officially, Sanchez replaces Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale. His nomination came two hours before the Phillies announced Ranger Suarez is withdrawing from the All-Star Game due to back spasms in Friday night’s loss to Oakland. Suarez will be replaced by Atlanta starter Max Fried, and he’ll join Zack Wheeler (back) among Phillies starters elected but not going to Arlington.
Sanchez had planned to visit family in the Dominican Republic during the break. Instead, he’ll have his wife meet him in Texas to witness him going toe-to-toe with baseball’s best.
Sanchez’s nod comes after a long professional journey.
Signed in 2013 by the Tampa Bay Rays at age 17, he was acquired by the Phillies in November 2019 and had to wait more than a year to finally pitch in a game around the pandemic. His growth, from a hard-thrower with no command to a control pitcher with an elite changeup, has been both physical and mental.
He made his big league debut in 2021 and went from being a fringe starter/reliever in 2022 to holding down a rotation spot in 2023 to a 7-4 mark with a 2.94 ERA this year, commanding a new four-year, $22.5 million deal that looks like a steal.
Thomson has witnessed Sanchez’s entire trajectory with the Phillies. The All-Star recognition reflects to the skipper upon the village of coaches and support personnel it took to build Sanchez up.
“He’s gone from a young man to a man in a short period of time, and I love when he smiles, when he shows emotion. I really do,” Thomson said. “Because for a long time, I think he held it in. Now he’s laughing when he needs to laugh. He’s mad at himself when he needs to be mad. He’s just showing emotion. I like that.”
Adding an eighth All-Star also reflects the collection of talent and its collective performance this year for the big league-leading Phillies.
“It’s special,” Sanchez said. “It tells you a lot about the work that we’re putting in as a team.”
“They’re really talented, and they’ve had good years,” Thomson said. “So that’s good to see. It really is. I’m proud of the entire group. That includes coaches, trainers, nutritionists, strength and conditioning, front office for putting this group together. It’s a special group.”
For the distance he’s traveled to get here, Sanchez is planning on enjoying the moment in Texas. He’s got bigger goals as the season progresses. One he shared Saturday, “World Series,” required no translator. But given the work to get to this point, he’s going to enjoy accomplishing this one.
“The special group of players that are going there, we all deserve it,” he said. “I’m just trying to enjoy it with them.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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