Team success is all that matters to this group, but with 11 games left until the All-Star break, the Phillies’ individual awards have already been won.
MLB announced Wednesday morning that both National League Player of the Month awards went to the Phillies, with Bryce Harper named Player of the Month and Christopher Sanchez named Pitcher of the Month.
This marks Harper’s second consecutive win, something he has never done before.
It also marks the second time in three months that a Phillies pitcher has won the award – Ranger Suarez won in April – which is pretty surprising considering they are the team’s third and fourth-best starters behind Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola.
“Harp had a great month. Back-to-back wins don’t happen that often,” manager Rob Thomson said, “but I’m very happy for Sanchie to win Pitcher of the Month. He’s come a long way. He’s a great guy. He’s worked hard. He definitely deserves the honor.”
Thompson gathered his team before the game on Tuesday afternoon to deliver the news, and their reaction to the news about Sanchez was straight out of a TV show.
“Of course, there was a big applause for the harp. We started with the harp and then moved to Sanchi and the place was going wild,” he said. “Everyone knows how much he’s grown and how much he’s worked and they appreciate that.”
Sanchez went 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA and 0.82 WHIP in five starts in June. He did not allow a home run and has only allowed one in 93⅓ innings this season. The Phillies signed Sanchez to a four-year, $22.5 million contract extension less than two weeks ago, and Sanchez responded with seven scoreless innings against the Diamondbacks and a three-hit shutout against the Marlins.
“It’s really just his humility,” Thompson said. “For example, there’s a guy at the CBP guard shack. I pulled up, I stopped and talked to him. He said Chris Sanchez comes by every day and he stops and says hi and talks to me. That certainly says a lot about him.”
Sanchez’s main competition for the monthly award was Pirates rookie Paul Skenes, who struck out 40 batters in 30 1/3 innings in June with a 1.78 ERA.
Harper beat Shohei Ohtani. Harper batted .374 with a 1.166 OPS, 10 doubles, seven homers and 16 RBIs. Ohtani batted .293 with a 1.110 OPS, four doubles, 12 homers and 24 RBIs. There was no wrong answer.
Harper also knows he will be the National League’s starting first baseman in the All-Star Game. He’s already secured his place as the National League’s top vote-getter in the first phase of fan voting. He’s likely to start in the infield alongside teammates Trea Turner and Alec Bohm. The All-Star starters will be announced on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. ET.
