PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Cristopher Sánchez is friends with fellow Dominican Republic native Marcell Ozuna, so it was only natural they trash talked each other before their most recent game.
The Pirates' designated hitter told Sánchez he would take him deep.
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FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher Orel Hershiser is all smiles as he watches the final out during his record setting performance on Oct. 3, 1988 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi, file)
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sánchez works against a San Diego Padres batter during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sánchez celebrates after the last out of the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sánchez celebrates in the dugout after the last out of the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sánchez works against a San Diego Padres batter during the second inning of a baseball game Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Sánchez instead struck him out — four times, and the Phillies' ace struck out 13 overall in the May 16 shutout victory.
“That wasn't a very good idea to piss him off,” Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto said with a laugh.
Using an elite sinker-slider-changeup mix that has made him one of the best pitchers in baseball, Sánchez had his way with just about every batter in a sensational scoreless May.
Sánchez went 4-0 and struck out 45 — with only three walks — over 39 innings in May and broke a 115-year-old franchise record along the way. Sánchez has pitched 44 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings headed into Wednesday's start against San Diego to top the mark of 41 innings set in 1911 by Grover Cleveland Alexander.
Up ahead, a shot at the major league record held by former Los Angeles Dodgers great Orel Hershiser, who threw 59 consecutive scoreless innings for the World Series champions from Aug. 30 to Sept. 28, 1988.
“I’m pulling for anybody to have a life-changing moment,” Hershiser said. “’88 and the 59 scoreless changed my life. The only time I'm not going to root for him is when he’s pitching against the Dodgers.”
Sánchez missed the Dodgers' series during the Phillies 4-2 road trip, and they are now 21-10 under interim manager Don Mattingly.
He hasn't missed much else, except maybe a lot of bats.
“It’s something special,” Sánchez said through an interpreter. “Something really important. I never imagined something like this. So, I’m really happy and proud of myself.”
Sánchez has thrown at least seven shutout innings in five straight starts — he would need to reach that minimum in two more starts, plus one inning to top Hershiser — and only six other pitchers are ahead of him on the consecutive shutout innings list dating back to the start of the Live Ball Era in 1920.
Arizona pitcher Zac Gallen is the only other active pitcher who understands what Sánchez is feeling on the mound over a lengthy scoreless streak. Gallen — just passed by Sánchez — had six straight scoreless starts of six-plus innings and finished at 44 1/3 innings overall in 2022.
“When you’re on a streak like that, it’s fun,” Gallen said. “It’s kind of like walking around, I wouldn’t say on eggshells of, ‘Oh man, you never know when this thing’s going to end.’ But it’s fun when you’re out there and you’re in flow state and the zeros start to stack up. So, it’s awesome for him. I hope he can take down the record.”
Sánchez is 6-2 with an MLB-low 1.47 ERA overall headed into Wednesday's start against a Padres team he just beat last week with seven brilliant innings. Should Sánchez start the game with three scoreless innings, he would pass Sal Maglie, Carl Hubbell, Zack Greinke, and Bob Gibson on the scoreless streak list.
Only Don Drysdale and Hershiser would be left.
“What I do watch, he’s very, very special,” Hershiser said. “His changeup, his athleticism, his ability to change speeds to both sides of the plate. I just think he’s a real special pitcher. You can’t do what he’s doing without repeating your mechanics and having some deception and making a lot of good pitches. He’s putting it all together.”
Each of Sánchez’s last 28.2 innings at Citizens Bank Park have been scoreless and he has the third-longest scoreless streak in ballpark history, trailing only Roy Halladay in 2010 (33 innings) and Cliff Lee in 2011 (29).
The 29-year-old Sánchez has inched toward greatness each of the last two seasons.
He was the NL Cy Young Award runner-up in 2025 when he went 13-5 with a 2.50 ERA and struck out 212 in 202 innings. Sánchez was rewarded in March with a guaranteed $104 million over a six-year contract through the 2032 season in a deal that contains $20 million in deferred money payable from 2035-44.
The Phillies put a lot of financial faith in Sánchez, and the early returns have been significant — he made his first opening day start and could lead to the lanky lefty earning an All Star start in July on his home mound.
Sánchez signed with the Tampa Bay Rays as an international free agent in 2013 and was traded to the Phillies six years later for infielder Curtis Mead in a few-cared winter transaction. Mead never caught on as an everyday player and is batting .242 in 45 games this season with the Washington Nationals.
Sánchez — throwing a changeup that averages 86.5 mph and holding hitters to a .153 average — and Zack Wheeler have formed a formidable 1-2 punch in the rotation and helped the Phillies play their way out of a 9-19 start to get back into wild card contention.
Sánchez has pitched largely to weak contact, and the scoreless streak has never been in any serious jeopardy since he last allowed two runs in the first inning of a 3-2 Phillies win over the Giants on April 30.
The defensive highlight of his run came in his last start when centerfielder Justin Crawford raced after Manny Machado's deep drive and crashed into the wall to make the catch.
Sánchez stood on the mound and applauded the effort.
And if Sánchez gets to 60 scoreless, so too, will Hershiser.
“If Cristopher would break it, that would be an honor to be mentioned and I would treat him the same (respectful) way that Don Drysdale treated me,” he said.
AP Sports Writers Beth Harris in Los Angeles and Andrew Destin in Seattle contributed to this story.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
FILE - Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher Orel Hershiser is all smiles as he watches the final out during his record setting performance on Oct. 3, 1988 in San Diego. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi, file)
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sánchez works against a San Diego Padres batter during the first inning of a baseball game Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sánchez celebrates after the last out of the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sánchez celebrates in the dugout after the last out of the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sánchez works against a San Diego Padres batter during the second inning of a baseball game Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
BEIRUT (AP) — Israel’s government ordered strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut on Monday, a day after its ground forces reached their deepest point in Lebanon in 26 years and as Hezbollah fired rockets at northern Israel, including the outskirts of the coastal city of Haifa.
A joint statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said the orders to attack targets in Beirut’s southern suburbs followed what they called repeated violations of the ceasefire by Hezbollah and “attacks against our cities and citizens.”
The Israeli military's Arabic spokesman later posted on X that residents should leave the suburbs, adding that if Hezbollah continues attacking Israeli communities, Israel will launch attacks on the area known in Arabic as Dahiyeh, where Hezbollah enjoys wide support.
Hezbollah agreed to halt attacks on Israel when the ceasefire was signed in mid-April, but the militant group resumed the assaults after Israeli strikes in Lebanon that Israel characterized as self-defense. The fighting also presents a major obstacle in the emerging deal to extend the ceasefire in the Iran war. Tehran wants any agreement to include Lebanon.
After Monday's warning, large numbers of people were seen fleeing Dahiyeh, jamming roads leading out of the suburb.
Mohammed Farhat, 23, fled with his brother and parents from Beirut’s southern suburb of Haret Hreik and was heading with his mother on a motorcycle to stay with relatives in another neighborhood.
“We are worried. I am used to it but left for my parents,” the university student said.
Israeli airstrikes overnight on southern Lebanon left six people dead, including a Syrian citizen in a village near the city of Nabatiyeh, the state-run National News Agency said. Israel struck other towns and villages near the major city, close to the strategic Beaufort Castle and other towns the Israeli military captured in recent days.
An airstrike Monday afternoon in the port city of Tyre caused heavy damage to the Jabal Amel Hospital, the Health Ministry said. A video released by the ministry showed shaken women and children inside the hospital, where windows were blown out.
The Israeli military, meanwhile, said its air force had intercepted two projectiles launched from Lebanon toward Israeli territory, as well as a suspicious aerial target in the area where Israeli soldiers operate in southern Lebanon. No injuries were reported, the military said.
Hezbollah said it carried out rocket and missile attacks on northern Israel on Sunday. It said early Monday it attacked Israeli troops in Zawtar al-Sharqieh, just north of the Litani River, and struck what they said was Israeli military infrastructure in Tiberius, a few dozen miles south of the border.
The latest attacks came despite a nominal ceasefire that has been in place since April 17 and just before Lebanon and Israel hold their next round of direct talks in Washington starting Tuesday. Hezbollah has rejected direct talks, counting on pressure from Iran, which has demanded an end to the war in Lebanon in its talks with Washington.
The talks between officials from Israel and Lebanon, which began in April in Washington, were the first in more than three decades between the countries, which have no formal diplomatic relations.
Lebanese officials have been scrambling in diplomatic calls, including with Washington, in a desperate bid to push back Israel’s military escalation after Netanyahu’s announcement, a Lebanese diplomatic official said. Beirut is still committed to holding talks to end the conflict despite the boiling tensions, said the official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi asserted Monday that any ceasefire agreement between Washington and Tehran is a “ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon."
“Its violation on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts," Iran's top diplomat said in a post on X.
Beirut, the Lebanese capital, has been mostly spared from airstrikes since the ceasefire went into effect, apart from two targeted attacks on the city's southern suburbs in May.
The German development minister, Reem Alabali Radovan, had planned to visit Beirut on Monday to meet with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and other officials, but she called off the visit while traveling to the city, citing the possibility of Israeli strikes in the suburbs.
Saudi Arabia condemned Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, saying it “categorically rejects” Israel’s movement into the small Mediterranean nation. The Saudi Foreign Ministry called on the international community to prevent Israel from going deeper into Lebanon.
A U.S. official said late Sunday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had spoken to Aoun and Netanyahu to propose a fresh path to continue ongoing negotiations, as President Donald Trump weighs a tentative ceasefire extension with Iran.
Under the proposal, Hezbollah would halt all attacks on Israel, and Israel would refrain from escalating military operations in Beirut, according to the official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic conversations.
The official said Aoun was open to the idea but that Lebanese parliament chief Nabih Berri had responded by demanding that Israel first stop all military action.
The official said the Trump administration does not expect Israel to give up retaliating for Hezbollah strikes on its territory.
Berri, a key Hezbollah ally, said in a statement Sunday that he can guarantee the militant group’s “full, comprehensive and immediate commitment to a ceasefire.” Berri added: “But who will force Israel to stop its aggression?”
Aoun on Monday said in comments released by his office that Lebanon faces "a fierce and condemned Israeli aggression.” Aoun added that his government continues work to end “the suffering of the Lebanese in general and the southerners in particular.”
Later, the president issued a statement reiterating Beirut's commitment to negotiations, saying it is “safer” than war."
“It will not solve the problem within moments, but it is a process that needs time," he said. “And we have no other choice.”
Elsewhere, the United Nations Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting on Lebanon for Monday afternoon.
The latest round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has killed 3,433 people in Lebanon and displaced more than 1 million people.
Israel’s military said a soldier was killed in southern Lebanon overnight in a drone attack by Hezbollah. Hezbollah’s use of hard-to-detect fiber-optic drones has been deadly for the Israeli military, which is struggling to respond.
According to Netanyahu’s office, at least 26 Israeli soldiers and a defense contractor have been killed in or near southern Lebanon. Two civilians have also been killed in northern Israel.
Melzer reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Washington and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
A person walks past the site struck by a rocket fired from Lebanon on Saturday in Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Cars sit in traffic on a highway as residents flee following an Israeli threat to strike Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Cars sit in traffic on a highway as residents flee following an Israeli threat to strike Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Cars sit in traffic on a highway as residents flee following an Israeli threat to strike Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
A family flees following an Israeli threat to strike Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
A view of he Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel, Sunday, May 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
