Chris Sale is in the middle of something truly special right now.
The Boston Red Sox left-hander will take the ball Wednesday night at Fenway Park against the Texas Rangers with a chance to make baseball history. Sale’s streak of eight consecutive starts with at least 10 strikeouts ties a record he already shares (he did it in 2015, too) with another Red Sox pitching great, Pedro Martinez, who did it in 1999. Another double-digit K night, and Sale will stand alone.
Before Sale takes the hill, we decided to rank his first nine starts in a Red Sox uniform — which was easier said than done.
9. May 7 at Minnesota — 6 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 10 K
In what was billed as one of the best pitching matchups of the season to date, Sale locked horns with Minnesota’s Ervin Santana, his primary competition for the Cy Young Award at the season’s quarter pole. From a pure pitching standpoint, the game was a letdown. The Red Sox jumped all over Santana and chased him early. Sale — who cruised through the first two innings, allowing two batters over the minimum with eight strikeouts — then struggled in a 39-pitch fifth inning that contributed to his shortest outing of the season. His “worst” would be considered many’s best, though.
8. May 19 vs. Oakland — 7 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 10 K
Sale was hilariously dominant through the first four innings, retiring 12 of the first 14 batters he faced, including five strikeouts, thanks to a run of four consecutive punchouts that included striking out the side in the third inning. Sale almost threw too many strikes, as the A’s took a more aggressive approach the second time through the order, but the left-hander finished strong by striking out four of the final five batters he faced, including two big Ks in the sixth with runners on second and third and one out.
7. April 5 vs. Pittsburgh — 7 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 7 K
Sale thrilled the home crowd in his Red Sox debut despite it being his only start of the season thus far where he didn’t reach the 10-strikeout mark. Sale has leaned heavily on his slider this season, and why wouldn’t he? It’s one of the best pitches in baseball. On this cold night in early April, he tore up the Bucs with a couple of mind-bending, seemingly physics-defying breaking balls.
6. April 10 at Detroit — 7 2/3 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 10 K
In a showdown against Detroit’s Justin Verlander, Sale couldn’t get the one pitch he needed in the eighth inning, and it cost him and the Red Sox, who lost 2-1. But with the way Boston’s offense was going against Verlander, Sale basically needed to be perfect to get the win. All that being said, as Red Sox manager John Farrell said, Sale “pitched a hell of a game,” starting his current streak of starts with at least 10 strikeouts.
5. April 27 vs. New York Yankees — 8 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 10 K
Sale has some downright historic stats against the Yankees, and he definitely did his part in his first start agianst the Bombers in a Red Sox uniform. Unfortunately for him and the Red Sox, New York’s Masahiro Tanaka was even better, as the Yankees won 3-0. Sale actually pitched into the ninth inning, where he ran out of steam, but not before another strong outing against his new team’s biggest rival.
4. May 13 vs. Tampa Bay — 7 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 12 K
The Rays got to the lefty with a couple of home runs, but it was an otherwise Sale-like start. Whereas Sale has finished strong in many starts this season, this outing against Tampa Bay exemplified how dominant he has been early in games, too. Sale struck out seven of the first 10 batters he faced. Through nine starts this season, Sale has 42 strikeouts and only one walk the first time through the order.
3. April 15 vs. Tampa Bay — 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 12 K
Sale finally got into the win column against Tampa Bay with another strong effort despite a lack of Boston offense. What made this start even more impressive was Sale played the role of stopper, ending a Red Sox skid of five wins in eight games.
2. May 2 vs. Baltimore — 8 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 11 K
While Isaiah Thomas was dropping 53 on the Washington Wizards over at TD Garden, Sale was cutting up another team from the DMV. There was no shortage of drama, either, with Sale throwing a 98-mph fastball behind Manny Machado in the first inning. Machado got Sale back with a home run later in the game, but it was one of the only blemishes on the lefty’s night, as the tall southpaw stepped up when the Red Sox needed him against arguably their biggest rival at the moment. When Sale caught wind of Machado’s irritation with the pitch and the Red Sox in general, the pitcher replied: “Whatever, man. I’m not losing sleep tonight.”
1. April 20 at Toronto — 8 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 13 K
Masterpiece. There’s no other way to characterize the best start of Sale’s young Red Sox career. Sale should have been able to finish the game — Farrell removed him after eight innings and just 102 pitches — and Craig Kimbrel ultimately blew the save, although Boston won 4-1 in 10. Of the 102 pitches from Sale, an absurd 80 of them were strikes, including 19 whiffs. Once again, Sale seemed to get better as the game went on, striking out five of the last seven batters he faced, making Farrell’s decision even more of a head-scratcher. Regardless, this Pedro-esque showing will be remembered for a long time.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
