Take a deep breath, Boston Red Sox fans. Chris Sale is back.
The left-handed ace has had some ups and downs in August, especially against the Cleveland Indians. But Sale had one of his best outings of the season in Boston’s 3-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Tuesday.
With the win, the Red Sox improve to 75-57, while the Blue Jays fall to 61-71.
Here’s how it all went down.
GAME IN A WORD
K’s.
OK, so that’s not really a word, but considering Sale reached 1,500 strikeouts faster than any other pitcher in Major League Baseball history, we’ll make an exception.
IT WAS OVER WHEN…
Andrew Benintendi made it a 3-0 game in the eighth with an RBI single. That extra insurance run made the game feel out of reach for Toronto.
ON THE BUMP
— August had been a rough month for Sale, but he put those previous difficulties behind him Tuesday night against the Blue Jays.
After allowing four or more earned runs in three of his previous five starts in August, Sale didn’t allow a single run over seven-plus dominant innings against Toronto.
Sale allowed only three hits while striking out 11 before leaving with runners on first and second with no outs in the eighth. He also made history by becoming the fastest pitcher to reach 1,500 strikeouts when he got Kevin Pillar looking with an 82-mph slider in the second inning.
— Addison Reed struck out the first two batters he faced before allowing a single to load the bases, but a Steve Pearce force out ended the threat.
— Craig Kimbrel earned the save in the ninth.
IN THE BATTER’S BOX
— The Sox broke through with a run in a wacky sixth inning. After two quick outs, Rafael Devers extended the inning with a single. He advanced to second while Eduardo Nunez was batting, and he scored during the same at-bat thanks to a misplayed ball in right field by Jose Bautista that turned into a double. Toronto had some more defensive issues in the inning but escaped without allowing another run.
— Hanley Ramirez provided some insurance when he hit a solo home run, his 20th of the season, in the seventh inning, making it 2-0.
— Benintendi then hit an RBI single in the eighth inning to add even more insurance.
TWEET OF THE NIGHT
Chris Sale = history.
There it is — career strikeout No. 1,500 for Sale. Fastest to reach that number. Took 1,289.2 innings. Previous best: 1,303 for Kerry Wood
— Sean McAdam (@Sean_McAdam) August 29, 2017
UP NEXT
The Red Sox will close out their series in Toronto on Wednesday. Right-hander Rick Porcello is scheduled to take the mound opposite left-hander J.A. Happ. First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. ET.
Thumbnail photo via Kevin Sousa/USA TODAY Sports Images
