Phillies starting pitcher Cristopher Sanchez is having himself quite a year. Over 18 starts so far this season, Sanchez sports a 2.59 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 116 strikeouts. Most notably, Sanchez is tied for fourth in WAR amongst pitchers across the majors.

Few hurlers have helped their teams win as much as Sanchez has helped the Phillies this year.

When Sanchez was initially left off of the All-Star Game roster, it was something of a disappointment, but things boiled over when Sanchez was passed on as a replacement pitcher. When Cubs pitcher Matthew Boyd opted out of playing in the Midsummer Classic, his spot went to Brewers rookie Jacob Misiorowski.

Misiorowski is a young, flamethrowing star, and it’s not shocking that the powers that be would be excited to see what he can do against the best batters in baseball. But while his fastball is mighty impressive, Misiorowski has started in just five games so far in his career—the fewest a player has ever appeared in before making their All-Star debut.

The Phillies were rightfully disappointed with the snub of their star pitcher, with Nick Castellanos comparing the move to something out of the Savannah Bananas. But while MLB might not have recognized Sanchez as an All-Star, the Phillies decided to treat him like one, awarding Sanchez the $50,000 bonus his contract assured him if he had made the All-Star Game.

Fans online loved the classy move by the organization.

The Phillies will enter the All-Star break in a tight battle with the Mets for first place in the NL East. Maybe the extra rest will help Sanchez as he looks to continue his dominant year on the mound.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Phillies Make Classy, $50K Gesture to Pitcher Who Was Snubbed From All-Star Game.

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