Boston Red Sox: Chris Sale reaches 300th strikeout plateau
By Gio Rivera
Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale returned to his usual form pitching 8 shutout innings against the Baltimore Orioles. He also made a little history.
Chris Sale’s 2017 season debut in a Boston Red Sox uniform has certainly been an unforgettable one to say the least, perhaps impossible to top some may say.
However after a rough past three outings coming into his start in Baltimore on Wednesday night, Sale delivered a phenomenal and historic night in which he reached yet another milestone to continue his 2017 Cy Young campaign.
History
Despite his past three starts in which Sale failed to go past the 6th inning, he 2017 track record against the Orioles was on Sale’s side. 2-0 with an ERA of 3.21 are the numbers against Baltimore this season prior to last nights game.
Sale was 13 strikeouts away from making history yet again in his debut season as a Red Sox pitcher, and 8.0 remarkable innings later came an achievement in which a Red Sox player hasn’t reached since 1999.
Related Story: Chris Sale’s striking out players at historic rate
With an 8th inning strikeout of Baltimore Oriole, Ryan Flaherty came the 300th strikeout recorded by Chris Sale this season. He is the first to do so since Pedro Martinez in 1999 when he totaled 313 and the first to do so in baseball since Dodgers lefty, Clayton Kershaw did so just 2 seasons ago.
Sale past Roger Clemens who stood at 292 and now trails Pedro Martinez by 13 strikeouts for the all-time Red Sox franchise record, one in which Sale can very well reach with one final outing of dominance.
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Mookie in Camden Yards
Baltimore’s Camden Yards certainly must be the road field of choice for Red Sox right fielder Mookie Betts, who entered last nights game batting .294 with 10 home runs and 24 RBI’s when playing there.
Betts continued to tear it up in Baltimore, going 2/4 with a home run (23rd on season, 12th career in Baltimore) and triple (2).
Red Sox now
As for the Boston Red Sox, they remain 3.0 games above the New York Yankees to lead the American League East Division.
With 10 games remaining, the Red Sox have now clinched a playoff spot with Wednesday night’s victory. The magic number to clinch the division is now 8 games.
Next: Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale is something spectacular
Boston will open up an inter-league series in Cincinnati against the Reds on Friday night.