There aren't many better one-two punches in MLB than the Philadelphia Phillies' Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo.
The Philadelphia Phillies’ rotation had one of the best ERAs in all of MLB a season ago. Even though the team lost one of its best starters, Ranger Suarez, Philadelphia still has a dynamic one-two punch that was recently named one of the best in baseball.
Jared Greenspan of MLB.com recently ranked the top one-two punches in MLB, and Philadelphia's pair of Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo as the third-best starting duo in the league.
The two duos that were ranked ahead of the Phillies pair were the Detroit Tigers' Tarik Skubal and Framber Valdez, and the Boston Red Sox's Garrett Crochet and Sonny Gray.
Still, the Sanchez-Luzardo pairing has an argument as being just as dangerous.
"These two lefties headline one of baseball's consistently great rotations. Sánchez emerged as a legitimate ace last season, finishing as the runner-up for the NL Cy Young Award and tallying the third-most WAR among all pitchers," wrote Greenspan. "
"Meanwhile, Luzardo's first season in Philadelphia exceeded any reasonable expectations. A new arm slot helped him avoid recurring back injuries, allowing him to set career highs in strikeouts (216) and innings pitched (182 2/3)."
Oct 9, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jesus Luzardo (44) throws in the tenth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game four of the NLDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesSanchez is coming off a career-best season in which he had a 2.50 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP with a strikeout rate of 26.3 percent.
Luzardo really made his mark on the Phillies as being the most reliable and consistent arm in Philadelphia's rotation.
Plus, kudos to Greenspan for pointing out Luzardo's uptick in punchouts. The lefty saw his strikeout rate jump from 21 percent in 2024 to 28 percent in 2025.
The most encouraging part of all of this is that both Sanchez and Luzardo have continued to improve over the last few seasons, which could set up a big 2026 for both pitchers.
That said, the Phillies will rely heavily on this duo with Suarez's loss, Zack Wheeler's health uncertainty, and the likelihood that Andrew Painter will face ups and downs during his potential rookie season.
Even though Philadelphia's rotation will look different in 2026, the Phillies should still feel extremely confident with the group's ceiling with this duo at the top.
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