BASEBALL: Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez gets Opening Day nod vs. Rangers

The Philadelphia Phillies showed their confidence in left-hander Cristopher Sanchez by signing him to a six-year, $107 million contract extension last weekend.

While the deal officially begins in 2027, Sanchez is expected to carry momentum when he takes the mound Thursday afternoon as the Phillies open the season against the visiting Texas Rangers.

Sanchez, 29, comes off the best season of his career, posting a 13-5 record with a 2.50 ERA in 32 starts in 2025. He finished second in National League Cy Young Award voting behind Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes.

"I'm absolutely so proud of being here, and it shows the commitment that this thing happened," Sanchez said via an interpreter. "They rewarded my work and the way I've been doing the last few years, and it's just a great commitment. I appreciate the team doing this for me."

The Phillies are betting that appreciation will go both ways, especially considering Sanchez won his lone career start against the Rangers last season. He allowed one run on six hits with six strikeouts over six innings in a 9-1 victory.

Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, and Brandon Marsh all hit homers in that game. Philadelphia ranked ninth in MLB last season with 212 home runs and captured the NL East for the second straight year. Schwarber set a career-high with 56 homers, while Bryce Harper added 27.

This spring, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski raised eyebrows with comments about Harper, suggesting the two-time NL MVP and eight-time All-Star may no longer be at an elite level. Harper, however, remained unfazed, saying he doesn’t “get motivated by that kind of stuff.”

Philadelphia will also feature two new players in its lineup: rookie center fielder Justin Crawford and veteran right fielder Adolis Garcia. Garcia joins the Phillies after a two-season slide in Texas, where he helped the Rangers win the 2023 World Series.

Garcia will face a familiar opponent as Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi starts Thursday for his third straight Opening Day. Eovaldi, 36, went 11-3 with a 1.73 ERA in 22 starts last season before a mid-August shutdown due to a strained rotator cuff. He underwent surgery in October for a sports hernia and is fully ready for the new season.

A two-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, Eovaldi is 5-4 with a 3.51 ERA in 12 career starts against Philadelphia.

"True culture is when your best player is your hardest worker and continues to hold the standard," new Texas manager Skip Schumaker said of Eovaldi. "There's no better guy to continue to showcase that. When people say the standard is the standard, not many people can identify it. Well, that's the standard."

Despite Eovaldi’s success, Texas finished last season 81-81, placing third in the American League West. Manager Bruce Bochy departed, and the Rangers quickly signed Schumaker to a four-year deal after he joined the club’s front office as a senior advisor in November 2024.

The Rangers also moved on from Marcus Semien, trading him to the New York Mets for Brandon Nimmo. Shortstop Corey Seager’s health will be a key factor for Texas, as the five-time All-Star has missed 142 games over the past three seasons due to injuries.

-Field Level Media/Reuters