Longest scoreless streaks in MLB history: Where Cristopher Sanchez's Phillies record ranks all-time

Longest scoreless streaks in MLB history: Where Cristopher Sanchez’s Phillies record ranks all-time originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Following his 2024 All-Star bid and 2025 emergence as a true ace, Cristopher Sanchez had a bumpier start to the 2026 MLB season than expected. But he’s quickly recovered with a newfound level of dominance.

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The Philadelphia Phillies‘ southpaw had an otherworldly month of May, going five-straight starts with at least seven innings while not allowing a single run in any of those appearances. In the process, Sanchez hasn’t just become an early NL Cy Young favorite — he’s been slowly climbing the list of longest scoreless inning streaks in MLB history.

Following his most recent start against the Padres, Sanchez owns the new Phillies franchise record. He heads into his June 3 start, also against San Diego, already owning MLB’s longest scoreless pitching streak since 2015, and he can still make more history.

Here’s where Sanchez’s active scoreless streak ranks all-time and a look at his terrific recent stretch.

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The longest scoreless streak in MLB regular-season history belongs to Orel Hershiser, who went 59 consecutive frames for the Dodgers from Aug. 30, 1988, to Sept. 28, 1988, without allowing a run. That stretch included five straight nine-inning shutouts, and Hershiser went on to win the NL Cy Young Award.

Mariano Rivera holds the postseason record for consecutive scoreless innings, going 33.1 frames in a row without allowing a run from 1998-2000.

Depending on the era, the record books for scoreless streaks can change a bit. All-time, there were a few scoreless streaks in the early 20th century — but in the Live Ball Era, which began in 1920, it’s been a more exclusive list of pitchers to go at least 40 scoreless innings in a row.

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Since 2000, the longest scoreless pitching streak was Zack Greinke‘s 45.2 consecutive scoreless frames for the Dodgers in 2015. Prior to Sanchez, the longest streak of the 2020s so far was Zac Gallen‘s 44.1 innings without a run in 2022.

However, it’s Sanchez who now ranks seventh all-time in the Live Ball era with 44.2 scoreless frames in a row — the Phillies star surpassed Gallen on May 27. And he’s not done yet, with Sanchez set to take his active streak into his next start on June 3.

Here’s a look at the top-10 longest scoreless streaks all-time, regardless of era:

And a look at only the top-10 in the Live Ball Era, since 1920:

*Active streak

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Already, Sanchez has made his mark in the Phillies’ franchise record books.

After her silenced the Padres over seven scoreless innings on May 27, Sanchez took hold of the Phillies’ all-time record for longest scoreless streak. He surpassed Grover Alexander’s 41-straight scoreless innings in 1911.