PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Cristopher Sánchez has a new job ahead of his playoff start for the Philadelphia Phillies: dad.
Sánchez and his wife welcomed a baby boy days ahead of the All-Star pitcher’s start in Game 2 of the NL Division Series against New York on Sunday.
The 27-year-old earned his first All-Star berth on the strength of a regular season that finished at 11-9 with a 3.32 ERA and his first career shutout.
The birth of his first son — “BABY CRIS,” he wrote on Instagram — well, that trumped all his professional achievements.
“I think there’s nothing that beats getting home to my kid right now,” Sánchez said Saturday through an interpreter. “I’m just spending time with him, holding him every five minutes. Just all around, being all over him. That’s just something I can’t describe right now.”
Sánchez said his son was born Monday. He captioned a photo of the boy named Cristopher with: “Our dream baby is here. Mommy and Daddy love you so much.”
Sánchez got the nod over playoff-tested veteran Aaron Nola for Sunday’s start at Citizens Bank Park on the strength of his road vs. home splits. Sánchez went 7-3 with a 2.21 ERA in 17 starts at home. He went 4-6 with a 5.02 ERA in 14 road starts.
Nola starts Game 3 in New York.
Sánchez started just one game in the 2023 playoffs, throwing 38 pitches over 2 1/3 innings in a Game 4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL Championship Series.
His improvement this season was rewarded in June. The Phillies signed Sánchez to a $22.5 million, four-year contract extension through the 2028 season.
“It’s really amazing the steps that he’s taken, the growth that he’s had, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “The slider he’s landing. Gone deep in the games. Held his composure. Has had some innings where he could have fallen apart, which he’s done in the past, and just kept fighting through it, maintaining his composure and poise. He’s just grown leaps and bounds.”
In a season full of firsts, Sánchez can’t wait for his first start as a father.
“It was the best time possible. It all happened in perfect timing. I was able to go to the hospital and meet my kid, my wife, and just spend two days with them at the hospital,” he said. “All normal to me. The next day I just came here, did my throwing program, had a bullpen session, and it’s all been just regular for me, luckily.”
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Philadelphia Phillies' Cristopher Sánchez pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Phillies' Cristopher Sánchez pitches during the second inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Phillies' Cristopher Sánchez speaks with members of the media ahead of Game 1 of a baseball NL Division Series against the New York Mets, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
TOKYO (AP) — Japan launched a defense satellite Monday aimed at speedier military operations and communication on a new flagship H3 rocket and successfully placed it into orbit, as the country seeks to build up its military capability amid growing tension in the region.
The East Asian country is accelerating its military buildup under a 2022 security strategy that calls for Japanese troops to play a greater role in regional defense amid rising tension from China, North Korea and Russia.
The H3 No. 4 rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center on a southwestern Japanese island. Everything went as planned and the satellite was successfully put into a targeted orbit, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, announced.
The rocket was carrying Kirameki No. 3, a Defense Ministry satellite that uses X-band communication for information and data sharing, as well as military operations and command.
X-band satellites are less affected by weather conditions and can support stable communication. Kirameki No. 3 follows two earlier X-band satellites already in operation to meet Japan's growing military communication demands and enhance its satellite operations.
Maj. Gen. Yasuhiro Kato, the Joint Staff Systems Department chief, told an online joint news conference from Tanegashima that the triple X-band communication satellite system would enable high-speed, large-capacity data transmission and communication across Japan's Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defense Forces, as well as with units deployed overseas on peacekeeping missions or exercises.
“It will further contribute to Japan's national security and the operational capacity of the Self-Defense Forces,” Kato said.
Ippei Kikuta, a defense ministry acquisition agency official, said Kirameki No. 3 will start operations by the end of March after being shifted to a designated geostationary orbit above Japan and tested, joining forces with the two other X-band satellites, Kirameki No. 1 and No. 2, which are in undisclosed locations.
Monday’s launch was initially planned for Oct. 20 and came after four postponements due to a technical glitch and bad weather. Kato said the delay had no impact on Japan's security and defense activity.
JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa said he felt “relieved” that the H3 rocket succeeded in delivering the satellite to its planned location after the two-week delay.
The launch was the third consecutive successful flight of the H3 system after a shocking failed debut attempt last year when the rocket had to be destroyed with its payload.
Japan sees a stable, commercially competitive space transport capability as key to its space program and national security.
JAXA and its main contractor, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, have been developing the H3 launch system as a successor to its current mainstay, H-2A, which is set to retire after one more flight.
MHI will eventually take over H3 production and launches from JAXA and hopes to make it commercially viable by cutting the launch cost to about half of the H-2A. JAXA and MHI have set a goal of six launches per year.
MHI's space segment chief, Iwao Igarashi, told reporters that the strength of the Japanese rocket launch is its reliability and on-time record and that Monday's success was “another big progress.”
The company has so far signed multiple H3 launch deals with U.K. and French satellite operators and the U.A.E space agency.
A new flagship H3 rocket carrying a defense ministry communications satellite is launched from Tanegashima Space Center, Kagoshima prefecture, southern Japan Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)
A new flagship H3 rocket carrying a defense ministry communications satellite is launched from Tanegashima Space Center, Kagoshima prefecture, southern Japan Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)
A new flagship H3 rocket carrying a defense ministry communications satellite is launched from Tanegashima Space Center, Kagoshima prefecture, southern Japan Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (Kyodo News via AP)