Boston Red Sox left-handed pitcher Chris Sale set a new career high by striking out 17 batters against the Colorado Rockies.
They ran out of room to hang the K signs above the center field wall at Fenway Park. The strikeouts piled up by Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale were too much for that railing – or the Colorado Rockies – to handle.
17 strikeouts. SEVENTEEN! A new career-high for Sale that ties him for the second-most strikeouts recorded by a Red Sox pitcher in one game.
Bill Monbouquette struck out 17 batters on 5/12/1961 against Washington and Pedro Martinez did it twice (9/10/99 at NYY, 5/6/00 vs TB) . Then there’s Roger Clemens and his pair of 20 strikeout performances (4/29/86 vs. SEA, 9/18/96 at DET). Those were the only cases in franchise history when a pitcher struck out 17+ batters in a game.
Until now. Sale joined that esteemed group with a dominating performance Tuesday night against the Rockies. The lefty struck out the first six batters he faced and eight of the first nine. The six consecutive strikeouts ties Ray Culp‘s franchise record for the longest streak to begin a game in the expansion era (since 1961).
There was a feeling early on that we were in for something special when Sale took a no-hitter into the fifth inning. The bid was broken up by a ground rule double off the bat of Mark Reynolds (which, in fairness, was a ball that’s probably caught if Mookie Betts is in right field instead of J.D. Martinez). It wasn’t a no-no but the strikeout total put this gem in the historically great category nonetheless.
The Fenway Faithful urged Alex Cora to keep his ace on the mound to chase The Rocket’s MLB record strikeout total but the manager wisely decided against it, giving Sale the hook after seven innings and 108 pitches. Sale was beginning to tire as his pitch count was rising, coughing up solo home runs in the sixth and seventh innings to allow Colorado to climb back in the game.
The bullpen would surrender two more runs, costing Sale a win he deserved, yet it was still the right choice to pull him. Chasing another World Series ring is more important than chasing strikeout records. Could Sale have topped 20 K’s had he stayed in the game? Perhaps, but at what cost?
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Sale still managed a piece of history for his efforts. This was his second dominant outing in a row, following an eight-inning, one-run, 14-strikeout performance against the Baltimore Orioles. That makes Sale the first pitcher ever with 14+ strikeouts, zero walks, and three or fewer hits allowed in consecutive starts.
Pedro is the only Red Sox pitcher with 14+ strikeouts in three consecutive starts, an accomplishment Sale will have the opportunity to match the next time he takes the mound.
The rocky start to the season seems like a distant memory for Sale. He’s been rolling over his last five starts, posting a 1.90 ERA with 59 strikeouts in 33 innings.
Red Sox pitchers set an MLB record by combining for 21 strikeouts through nine innings but they weren’t done yet. With the score knotted at four, the Sox and Rox headed for extra-innings where the K’s continued to pile up. They would end up with 24 strikeouts in the 11-inning affair, setting another franchise record.
The Rockies would ultimately walk away with the win, putting a damper on an incredible pitching performance. We can’t hang this L on Sale though. All he did was hang K’s all night long.