Cristopher Sánchez salutes Philly crowd in All-Star Game start – NBC Sports Philadelphia

Typically, when they do the player introductions at the All-Star Game, the pitchers and catchers are locked in on one another.

There is barely any acknowledgement to the crowd.

When the Philadelphia faithful roared for Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez, the camera panned toward the bullpen. Sánchez stood near the edge of the mound, patting his chest with his right hand.

He smiled. He took in the moment.

Then he saluted.

“Just a sign of respect to the fans,” Sánchez said. “A little payback for all the love that they gave me on such an important day, both for me and for the fan base.”

This was not the cleanest inning Sánchez has pitched this season.

Not close, especially.

The left-hander entered the All-Star Game with a 2.62 ERA through 20 starts, one of the best first halves in baseball. He struck out Mike Trout to open the game, then ran into trouble. A couple walks. A pair of Yankees (who were boo’d nonstop), Cody Bellinger and Ben Rice, laced run-scoring hits.

A rare three-spot at home for Sanchez.

At one point, it looked like National League manager Dave Roberts was ready to get him.

Sánchez wanted one more hitter.

“They wanted me out of the game at that point,” Sánchez said. “But I asked for one more hitter because I wanted to get through the inning. Luckily, he let me have that one more hitter, and I was able to get out of that first inning.”

The line will not be what Sánchez remembers most.

He became the first Phillies pitcher to start an All-Star Game since Roy Halladay in 2011, and the first to do it in Philadelphia since Curt Simmons at Shibe Park in 1952. He did it in his home ballpark, in front of the fans who have watched him grow from interesting arm to rotation anchor to one of the National League’s best starters.

It meant something before he ever threw a pitch.

“Super excited,” Sánchez said. “Myself coming from La Romana, back home in the Dominican Republic, coming from basically nothing, it means a lot. It means a lot to me, this experience.”

Sánchez has talked often this season about the work behind his rise. Tuesday night gave him a different kind of confirmation.

“It’s just a sign that we’ve been doing things the right way,” Sánchez said. “All that hard work paying off.”

The first inning got away from him, but he said his stuff did not feel far off.

“Even with a couple walks right there that I had, I felt fine,” Sánchez said. “Threw a couple good pitches, but this is the day we have to enjoy, take it all in, enjoy it with the fans as well. Felt good nonetheless.”

He was asked which hitter stood out.

“One of the best hitters that I faced today was Mike Trout,” Sánchez said. “I struck him out, so that’s a good sign that everything was going up for me today.”

The All-Star Game is part competition, part celebration, part baseball summit. Pitchers talk. Hitters talk. Players trade ideas they might not get anywhere else.

Halladay, the last Phillies pitcher to start an All-Star Game before Sánchez, famously learned a cutter from Mariano Rivera at an earlier All-Star Game. Sánchez was asked if anything like that happened for him.

He smiled around the answer.

“A lot,” Sánchez said. “I’d say a lot. I learned a lot, but for the future.”

He declined to say exactly what he picked up. But he did say he spent time with Chris Sale and Paul Skenes.

That is a worthwhile pair for Sánchez.

Sale is built a lot like him. Both are listed at 6-foot-6 and 200 pounds. Sale’s fastball has long been one of the toughest pitches in the sport because of his angle, deception and extension.

Skenes brings a different menu. The sweeper. The splinker. The kind of power arsenal that has made him one of the game’s most watched arms.

“I was in touch with Chris Sale and had a little conversation with Paul Skenes as well,” Sánchez said. “Learning a lot.”

That might matter later. It might not. Sánchez was not giving away details.

Cristopher Sanchez met with the media after his making his first-career start in the MLB All-Star Game.

For now, the bigger picture was the first half that put him there.

“It’s been really special, what we’ve been able to do,” Sánchez said. “The focus and the hard work that we’ve done. But the best thing is still to come. Keep it going for the next half and try to make our ultimate goal, which is to make a deeper run in the playoffs.”

Sánchez called the entire experience “incredible.” He got to share it with his parents. He got to start the All-Star Game in Philadelphia. He got to stand in a clubhouse full of superstars and listen.

“Sharing love with the parents and how joyful they are with us, that’s part of this experience,” Sánchez said. “And also sharing the clubhouse with the superstars, it’s just an amazing thing to do. Learning from each one of them has been amazing.”

He is now on in a prestigious group of Phillies pitchers to start an All-Star Game.

“It feels great to be on that list,” he said. “And that only motivates me to be even better, both as a player and, more importantly, as a person, too.”

The inning was not perfect. The moment did not need to be.

Sánchez had already earned it.

“I always wave to my family,” Sánchez said. “They’re always in the stands, watching my game. That’s just a person that I have. I always say hi before the game.”