Phillies sweep June awards for the National League with Bryce Harper and Cristopher Sánchez

Phillies first baseman Bryce Harper and starter Cristopher Sánchez were named NL player and pitcher of the month in June, MLB announced on Wednesday. It was the second straight month Harper has won the award, and the fourth time he’s been named player of the month in his career.

According to MLB, the last time the Phillies won player and pitcher of the month in the same month was in 1980, when pitcher Steve Carlton and third baseman Mike Schmidt won the awards in May.

Harper, who is on the injured list with a left hamstring strain, hit .374/.452/.714 with a 1.166 OPS in June. He hit seven home runs over that span, and sat atop the National League in slugging percentage, OPS and extra-base hits (17). Harper has already been named the starting first baseman for the National League All-Star team.

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Sánchez had never won the award in his four-year career. He pitched to a 1.64 ERA in June, with 23 strikeouts and just four walks over 33 innings in five starts. His last outing, on Friday, was a shutout — the first of his career.

It was just another example of how far he has come over the past few years. In 2022, Sánchez wasn’t even guaranteed a spot on the big league roster. Now, he is one of the best starting pitchers in the sport — and has the hardware to show for it.