Chris Sale Struck Out Mark Trumbo On A Slider That Hit Him In The Kneecap
The White Sox have gotten off to a hot start, and the most wins in the American League one month into the season, and Chris Sale is a big reason why. It blows my mind that this guy hasn’t won a Cy Young award yet, but he’s on a Cy Young pace so far in 2016. He leads the league in innings, which obviously means that he’s going deep into games. He has a complete game shutout under his belt already against the offensively challenged Rays, but overall, he’s 6-0 in six starts, and his 1.66 ERA is the fifth lowest in the American League among qualified starters. With an ERA like that, opponents clearly aren’t seeing the ball well against him, as is reflected in his .171 opponents batting average and .472 OPS. You know how else you can tell that opponents aren’t seeing the ball well against him? When they swing and miss at his slider and it hits them in the friggin’ kneecap.