Rangers' Jake Burger calls Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez a 'bonafide superstar'

Sanchez dominated the Texas Rangers in his first start of the season, impressing Burger with his elite stuff.

Mar. 27, 2026 at 1:52pm

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Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez dominated the Texas Rangers on Thursday in his first start of the 2026 season. Rangers first baseman Jake Burger was so impressed with Sanchez's performance that he called the Phillies pitcher a 'bonafide superstar' in the game.

Why it matters

Sanchez is coming off a stellar 2025 season where he finished as the runner-up for the National League Cy Young Award. His dominant outing against the Rangers has further cemented his status as one of the top pitchers in baseball, drawing high praise from an opposing player.

The details

Sanchez pitched six innings without allowing a run, walking none, and striking out 10 batters. This stat line has only happened five other times on Opening Day, with Hall of Famer Bob Gibson doing so in 1967. Sanchez's teammate, left-hander Jesus Luzardo, also recently received a contract extension from the Phillies.

  • Sanchez dominated the Rangers on Thursday, March 27, 2026.
  • Sanchez finished as the runner-up for the National League Cy Young Award in 2025.

The players

Cristopher Sanchez

A left-handed pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies who is coming off a stellar 2025 season where he finished as the runner-up for the National League Cy Young Award.

Jake Burger

A first baseman for the Texas Rangers who was impressed by Sanchez's dominant performance against his team.

Zack Wheeler

The Phillies' ace who is slowly working his way back from shoulder surgery, leaving Sanchez to hold down the rotation in his absence.

Jesus Luzardo

A left-handed pitcher and rotation mate of Sanchez who also recently received a contract extension from the Phillies.

Dave Dombrowski

The Phillies' president of baseball operations who made getting a deal done with Sanchez a priority while he was still young.

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What they’re saying

“I think we saw why he was a runner up in Cy Young last year. His changeup has the same shape and tightness to the ball as his sinker. He gets guys off balance really easy with that. Obviously he's an ace. He's a bonafide superstar in the game.”

— Jake Burger, Rangers first baseman

“When we looked into the future, we talked a lot about it over the wintertime and talked with [Phillies owner] John Middleton. … We kind of assumed years four and five [club options in the original deal] were no-brainers as far as we were going to pick those up. We couldn't even imagine a scenario in which we wouldn't, so now we start talking beyond that. We thought that somebody of Cristopher's stature … that we'd rather get this done now, while we still have age and it makes sense for us.”

— Dave Dombrowski, Phillies president of baseball operations

What’s next

Phillies ace Zack Wheeler will pitch in a few rehab assignments with the Leigh Valley Iron Pigs (Triple-A) starting Saturday as he works his way back from shoulder surgery.

The takeaway

Cristopher Sanchez's dominant performance against the Rangers has further cemented his status as one of the top pitchers in baseball, with Rangers first baseman Jake Burger calling him a 'bonafide superstar.' The Phillies have made a long-term commitment to Sanchez, locking him up with a new six-year contract, as they see him as a key part of their rotation for years to come.