PHILADELPHIA — It already has been a big week for Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez. But it is about to get even bigger.
The 27-year-old left-hander will be tasked with helping to draw the Phillies even with the New York Mets when he starts Game 2 of the teams’ National League Division Series on Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia. Game 1 went to the Mets, 6-2.
Sanchez’s outing also happens to come six days after he became a father for the first time, when his wife, Kaimary, gave birth to their son, also named Cristopher.
“It’s just all been really special,” Sanchez said. “I think there’s nothing that beats getting home to my kid now.”
Sanchez was given the nod in Game 2 because he pitched to a 2.21 ERA in 17 home starts this season, compared with a 5.02 ERA in 14 road outings.
“It’s something I just can’t explain,” he said. “I just feel really comfortable here. The fans give me that ability to be comfortable here.”
Sanchez (11-9, 3.32 ERA) was a first-time All-Star this season. He has faced the Mets twice in recent weeks, going five innings to beat them 12-2 on Sept. 20 — a game in which he allowed two runs on three hits and a season-high five walks — and pitching to a no-decision on Sept. 15 despite going seven innings and allowing one run on six hits as the Phillies won 2-1.
In his career, Sanchez is 2-2 with a 3.62 ERA in nine appearances (six starts) against the Mets.
He will oppose Luis Severino (11-7, 3.91 ERA) on Sunday. Severino, in his first season with the Mets after eight with the New York Yankees, was the winning pitcher in Game 1 of a wild-card series against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday. In that one, he navigated six innings while allowing four runs (three earned) and eight hits over six innings of the 8-4 game.
Severino also has had two recent outings against the Phillies. The 30-year-old right-hander surrendered three runs on five hits over six innings in a 10-6 victory on Sept. 19, and he allowed three runs on three hits while also going six innings in a no-decision on Sept. 14, a game Philadelphia won 6-4.
He is 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA in three career starts vs. the Phillies.
A two-time All-Star during his time with the Yankees, Severino understands it’s going to be very loud in Citizens Bank Park, as it was in Saturday’s opener before the Mets rallied in the final two innings for the win.
“I’m just going to focus on doing my job and trying to make my pitches,” he said, adding that his goal is to “manage the big guys — (Bryce) Harper, (Kyle) Schwarber, (Trea) Turner — guys that can hit homers.”
“I’ve been in this atmosphere before,” Severino added. “At the end it doesn’t matter how loud it is. If you make your pitches, you’re going to be good. If you don’t make a pitch, you’re going to pay for it. For me, my focus is just trying to hit the glove all the time.”
Phillies starter Zack Wheeler limited the Mets to a single hit in seven shutout innings Saturday, but the Mets scored five runs in the eighth and one run in the ninth against Philadelphia’s vaunted bullpen, a feat that Phillies manager Rob Thomson called “stunning.”
For his part, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said the victory was the result of “really good at-bats against some elite arms.”
One of those at-bats was by outfielder Brandon Nimmo, who snapped a 1-1 tie with an RBI single against Matt Strahm in the eighth. That paved the way for New York’s third late-inning victory in the past week.
“We feel like we’ve been playing playoff baseball for three or four weeks,” Nimmo said. “Our season has depended on it. … Momentum’s a big thing, and having confidence is a big thing. And guys are showing a lot of that right now.”
–Gordie Jones, Field Level Media