Chris Sale Sets The Red Sox Record For Most 10-Strikeout Games Before The All Star Break In A Losing Effort
Chris Sale is a noted psychopath. It’s what Boston fans love most about him, outside of being able to carve up any and every lineup in the league. Last night in Tampa, Sale struck out twelve batters over seven innings of work, the 12th time that he’s struck out at least ten batters in a game through his first 17 starts. That dozen of 10-strikeout games for Sale is a new Red Sox record for most 10-strikeout games before the All Star break. In 1999, Pedro Martinez had eleven 10-strikeout games before the All Star break, although Pedro struck out a total of 184 batters, while Sale has an MLB-leading 178. Pedro still the GOAT.
With what appears to have been a dominating performance by Sale, and it was, surely you’d think that the Red Sox won this game no problem. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Sale gave up a pair of homers to Peter Bourjos and Wilson Ramos, which is uncharacteristic for Bourjos to hit a home run at all and uncharacteristic for Sale to give up multiple homers in the same start. That’s only the second time he’s done that this year.
Ramos had just been activated about two weeks ago from the 60-day disabled list after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL. In the fourth inning, the Tampa catcher knocked in a run on an RBI double before getting to Sale again in the sixth with a two-run bomb, already his third homer in 26 at-bats this year. Sale had a classic Sale response when asked if he considered pitching around Ramos in the sixth inning.
He’s not perfect. No pitcher is. Surely, the lack of run support didn’t help him in this one, but Sale would probably tell you to fuck yourself if you blamed the offense for this loss. Four earned runs is not what Chris Sale does. As usual, he made no excuses, took the blame, and didn’t give a single fuck about the franchise strikeout record that he broke. The Red Sox lost, and that’s all that was on his mind, and how it was nobody’s fault but his own. Player accountability is always refreshing to see, especially when said player doesn’t make a habit out of failing to meet expectations time and time again.
This, of course, will be Sale’s last start of the first half, and what a first half it has been for the Red Sox newcomer. As mentioned, the franchise record twelve 10-strikeout performances, the most strikeouts in the majors (178), the best K/9 (12.55), the most innings pitched (127.2), the best WHIP in the American League (0.90), the best opponents OPS (.562), and the second best ERA (2.75). Here’s to hoping that he can keep this going not just into the second half of the season, but into October.
Final score: Rays 4, Red Sox 1