Phillies' Sánchez becomes a father before the start of Game 2 of the NLDS

PHILADELPHIA – Cristopher Sánchez has a new job before his playoff start for the Philadelphia Phillies: dad.

Sánchez and his wife welcomed a baby boy just days before the All-Star pitcher started Game 2 of the NL Division Series against New York on Sunday.

The 27-year-old Sánchez earned his first All-Star berth based on his regular-season performance, finishing 11-9 with a 3.32 ERA and his first career shutout.

The birth of his first son – “BABY CRIS,” he wrote on Instagram – surpassed all his professional successes.

“I think there’s nothing better than coming home to my child right now,” Sánchez said through an interpreter on Saturday. “I just spend time with him, hold him every five minutes. Just all around me, lying all over him. It’s something I just can’t describe right now.”

Sánchez said his son was born on Monday. Alongside a photo of the boy named Cristopher, he wrote: “Our dream baby is here. Mom and Dad love you so much.”

Sánchez secured the nod over playoff-tested veteran Aaron Nola in Sunday's opener at Citizens Bank Park due to his strong away-versus-home split. Sánchez went 7-3 with a 2.21 ERA in 17 starts at home. In 14 road starts, he posted a 4-6 record with a 5.02 ERA.

Nola starts Game 3 in New York.

Sánchez started just one game in the 2023 playoffs, throwing 38 pitches over 2⅓ innings in a Game 4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL Championship Series.

His improvement this season was rewarded in June. The Phillies signed Sánchez to a four-year, $22.5 million contract extension through the 2028 season.

“It's really amazing the steps he's taken, the growth he's made, not just physically but mentally and emotionally,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “The slider he lands. Disappeared deep into the games. Kept his composure. Had a few innings where he could have collapsed, which he has done in the past, and just kept fighting through it, maintaining his composure and poise. He just grew by leaps and bounds.”

In a season full of firsts, Sánchez can't wait to make his first start as a father.

“It was the best possible time. It all happened at the perfect time. I was able to go to the hospital, meet my child and my wife and just spend two days in the hospital with them,” he said. “Everything is normal for me. The next day I just came here, did my pitching program, had a bullpen session and luckily everything went normal for me.”