Cristopher Sánchez recorded the final out of the fourth inning on Thursday against the Giants and flexed his arms in celebration. It was not a big spot: The bases were empty, the count 0-2, the Phillies leading by four.
But it was the end of a ridiculous inning. Sánchez struck out that side in that fourth frame for his sixth, seventh and eighth punchouts of the game. All eight of those came on changeups. In the fourth inning, he threw 11 pitches. Eight of them were changeups.
If we’re taking things literally, “changeup” was a stretch of a descriptor on Thursday night.