Ex-Red Sox Ace Reaches Strikeout Mark In Record Time

The Boston Red Sox will not see Chris Sale in their three-game set against the Atlanta Braves after their former ace took the ball Thursday night.

The lefty tossed six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and three walks while striking out eight. His final strikeout of the outing marked No. 2,500 of his career, becoming the fastest to record the achievement in MLB history.

He even rose above another outstanding Red Sox ace of the past in the process.

Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Max Scherzer, Nolan Ryan and Clayton Kershaw follow Sale on the list of the lowest number of innings for the milestone.

Sale took the upper hand against Garrett Crochet in a pitchers’ duel at Fenway Park on May 16. The lefty struck out eight Red Sox hitters in seven innings, with the lone run coming on a Rob Refsnyder solo home run. Sale notched 18 strikeouts in his two starts against his old club following the December 2023 trade that sent him to the Braves in exchange for infielder Vaughn Grissom.

Atlanta took the series at Fenway, and the teams will rematch this weekend at Truist Park. Friday night’s game airs on Apple TV+, while you can catch Saturday and Sunday’s games on NESN.