Six days ago, Christopher Sanchez stepped onto the mound in Arizona and delivered a performance that you would most like to put on the hardwood: He allowed twelve hits and seven runs, which is a career high.

For Sanchez, the game didn’t let up for a second.

On Saturday, he faced the Nationals as if the game had never happened – and delivered a masterful complete game, leading the Phillies to a 5-1 victory and securing the series win.

Sanchez had not pitched past the sixth inning since his last complete game on June 28 against the Marlins, making him the third pitcher in MLB with multiple complete games.

“Sanchy was fantastic, he really was,” manager Rob Thomson said. “Everything about his night – his control, his changeup, the sink of his fastball – was incredible. Of the 27 outs, 19 were either ground outs or strikeouts. He was dominant.”

The Phillies have now had three good performances in a row with their starters (Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Sanchez), and while the offense has found its rhythm again, it has caused the team to falter considerably.

“Hopefully they’ve gotten over some kind of fatigue slump,” Thomson said of the performances of his last three starters. “We need to keep them there and keep a close eye on them so we don’t put them in danger. So they don’t tire too much again. So they get through this month and September.”

The first hit Sanchez allowed came in the fourth inning, a solo home run to right by Alex Call. It’s just the fifth home run Sanchez has allowed all season and just the second at Citizens Bank Park.

Sanchez followed by catching two balls in a row on the mound. He ended the inning when James Wood hit a flyout to Weston Wilson. Andrés Chaparro was the only other player to hit against the left-hander, with a soft single to left field.

Nick Castellanos hasn’t gotten nearly enough credit for his accomplishments lately, but what he did in August shouldn’t be overlooked. He averaged over a hit per game for the month and his efforts continued on Saturday night.

Castellanos hit a fastball into the gap in right-center field for his 26th double of the season, scoring Alec Bohm from first base. Castellanos now has a six-game hitting streak and has scored at least one run in every game this series against the Nationals.

The Phillies had a lot of hard contact early on, so it was only a matter of time before the first runs fell.

We saw a flurry of runs in the sixth inning that secured the win. Alec Bohm hit a single to bring home Trea Turner from first base and record his 85th RBI of the season. Bohm, who also had a walk earlier in the game, has reached base safely in 34 consecutive games. It’s the longest active streak in MLB.

JT Realmuto, Edmundo Sosa and Johan Rojas scored three more runs in this inning.

Bryce Harper was the only Phillies starter who did not have a base hit.

Wall of Fame Introduction

The Phillies inducted former team president and CEO David Montgomery into the Wall of Fame during Alumni Weekend.

The members of the Wall (Bobby Abreu, Bob Boone, Larry Bowa, Steve Carlton, Pat Gillick, John Kruk, Mike Lieberthal, Greg Luzinski, Garry Maddox, Charlie Manuel, Ron Reed, Juan Samuel, Mike Schmidt, Jim Thome, Manny Trillo) received a unique ring as a gift. Montgomery’s wife Lyn also received a ring.

Photo credit: Philadelphia Phillies

During the ceremony, a special addition was made to the padding of deep center field. Above the 409-foot marker is now “Monty’s Angle.” Montgomery wanted this corner in the outfield to honor Shibe Park, which later became known as Connie Mack Stadium.

You can watch the entire ceremony below:

Phillies induct David Montgomery into Wall of Fame with pregame ceremony

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