Philadelphia Phillies’ ace Cristopher Sánchez is on cloud nine, and it’s not just because of his impressive pitching stats. The 27-year-old All-Star has recently become a first-time father, welcoming a baby boy with his wife just days before his highly anticipated start in Game 2 of the NL Division Series against the New York Mets.
Sánchez, who finished the regular season with a remarkable 11-9 record and a 3.32 ERA, took to Instagram to share the joyous news, captioning a photo of his newborn son, Cristopher, with “Our dream baby is here. Mommy and Daddy love you so much.” The proud father gushed about the experience, saying, “I think there’s nothing that beats getting home to my kid right now… I’m just spending time with him, holding him every five minutes. Just all around, being all over him. That’s just something I can’t describe right now.”
Despite the excitement of becoming a new dad, Sánchez remains focused on his upcoming start, which will take place at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday. His impressive home record, boasting a 7-3 win-loss ratio and a 2.21 ERA in 17 starts, earned him the nod over veteran Aaron Nola. Sánchez’s growth and improvement this season were rewarded with a $22.5 million, four-year contract extension through the 2028 season.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson praised Sánchez’s progress, saying, “It’s really amazing the steps that he’s taken, the growth that he’s had, not only physically, but mentally and emotionally… He’s just grown leaps and bounds.” As Sánchez prepares to take the mound as a father for the first time, he’s feeling grateful for the perfect timing of his son’s arrival. “It was the best time possible. It all happened in perfect timing… All normal to me. The next day I just came here, did my throwing program, had a bullpen session, and it’s all been just regular for me, luckily.”
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