After a rather pedestrian start to the 2018 Major League Baseball season by his standards, Chris Sale has been nothing short of brilliant on the mound for the Boston Red Sox.
Sale was recognized for his efforts back in June when he was named the American League Pitcher of the Month, and it was déjà vu all over again Thursday when he received the honor yet again for his masterful July.
The left-hander nearly was unhittable this past month, as he collected a 3-0 record over four starts with a mind-boggling 0.36 ERA. Sale also tallied 43 strikeouts over 25 total innings while only surrendering four walks. And if you want to get technical, the Red Sox ace actually toed the rubber five times in July as he was the AL’s starting pitcher in this year’s All-Star Game.
Sale joined exclusive company by winning the award for the second straight month, becoming just the second pitcher in Red Sox history to accomplish the impressive feat. The southpaw joined Sox legend Pedro Martinez, who won back-to-back AL Pitcher of the Month awards in April and May of 1999.
Sale’s latest accolade wasn’t the only good news Red Sox fans received Thursday about the star pitcher either. Prior to Boston’s series opener with the New York Yankees, manager Alex Cora revealed the team is “shooting” for Sale to return from the disabled list and start Wednesday’s game against the Blue Jays in Toronto.
