Cristopher Sánchez finished second in the National League Cy Young Award voting for the second consecutive season on Wednesday. This time, Sánchez fell short of Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski, who won the award unanimously in his first full MLB season.
Misiorowski winning the award isn't surprising. He captivated the league with his stunning, unprecedented velocity, going 16-5 with a 1.80 ERA and 252 strikeouts in 174.2 innings pitched. The flamethrowing right-hander also posted a 1.89 ERA in four postseason starts en route to Milwaukee's first World Series championship.
This was unfortunate for Sánchez, who had a historic campaign of his own, highlighted by a 50 2/3 scoreless-inning streak that lasted from April 30 to June 3. It was the longest streak by a left-handed starter and was the fifth-longest single-season scoreless streak in MLB history (since at least 1893). The streak also surpassed Grover Cleveland Alexander's single-season franchise record streak, set in 1911.
Sánchez finished his 2026 season with a 2.91 ERA and 231 strikeouts in 33 starts. He was the only Cy Young finalist across both leagues to finish with at least 200 innings, tossing 207 total.
Cy Young Award continues to elude Phillies pitchers
Wednesday's vote marked the fourth time in six years that either Sánchez or Zack Wheeler finished as the runner-up in the NL Cy Young race (Sánchez in 2026 and '25 and Wheeler in '24 and '21). While it's devastating that neither Sánchez nor Wheeler has a Cy Young to show for their ace-like dominance in recent seasons, it shouldn't take away from what the pair has accomplished as one of baseball's best one-two punches.
Plus, the almost-30-year-old Sánchez has much more time to win some hardware. His co-ace, Wheeler, on the other hand, will enter his age-37 season in 2027 and become a free agent before the 2028 campaign. That said, Braves ace Chris Sale won the award for the first time during his age-35 season and finished third in the voting in '26; it's never too late to expect a career year.
Wheeler showed he's still among the best pitchers in the league and won the NL Comeback Player of the Year Award for his efforts after returning from thoracic outlet syndrome. So, it's still possible Wheeler could win the Cy Young that has consistently eluded him in recent seasons, but it's even more likely for his teammate Sánchez, who has improved each year since becoming a full-time starter.
Aaron Nola was also a finalist for the NL Cy Young Award in 2018, but finished in third place after posting a 9.7 bWAR with a 2.37 ERA and 224 strikeouts across 212.1 innings pitched.
Roy Halladay remains the last Phillie to win the NL Cy Young Award in 2010. Halladay went 21-10 with a 2.44 ERA, nine complete games, four shutouts, and 219 strikeouts in 250.2 innings.
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