▲ Cristopher Sanchez
Philadelphia Phillies ace Cristopher Sanchez, a contender for the Cy Young Award in Major League Baseball (MLB), had a disastrous outing as he was battered by the Kansas City Royals lineup.
The Philadelphia Phillies suffered a crushing 1-15 defeat against the Kansas City Royals in an away game held at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, on July 7 (KST).
Starting on the mound, Sanchez collapsed early, allowing 6 runs in the first inning alone.
Over 3.1 innings, he surrendered a total of 12 hits, including 3 home runs, while recording only 1 strikeout.
Ultimately, Sanchez was pulled from the game early, charged with a career-high 9 earned runs.
Sanchez, who had been delivering stellar performances this season and was considered a strong candidate for the Cy Young Award, saw his earned run average (ERA) jump from 2.00 to 2.62.
His season record now stands at 10 wins and 4 losses.
Before today's game, Sanchez held the second-lowest ERA in the National League, trailing only Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers (1.47).
However, after this single outing, his ranking dropped to 7th in the league, dealing a blow to his Cy Young campaign.
Sanchez is the pitcher who finished second in the National League Cy Young voting last season, posting a 13-5 record with 202 innings pitched, 212 strikeouts, and a 2.50 ERA.
During the World Baseball Classic (WBC) held in March of this year, he represented the Dominican Republic and made a strong impression by starting in the quarterfinals against South Korea, where he pitched 5 scoreless innings with 2 hits allowed and 8 strikeouts.
The Kansas City Royals (36 wins, 54 losses), who had been near the bottom of the MLB in winning percentage, racked up a season-high 15 runs on 22 hits, including 4 home runs from players such as Salvador Perez and Luke Maile.
Tyler Tolbert led the team's massive victory by completing his first career 5-hit game.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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