Ex-Red Sox ace makes MLB history with strikeout milestone
Chris Sale continues to thrive with the Braves.
The left-hander reached a new milestone on Thursday when he recorded his 2,500th career strikeout in the bottom of the sixth inning of Atlanta's game against the Philadelphia Phillies.
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Not only did Sale join Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw as the only active MLB pitchers to reach the feat, he became the fastest pitcher to get there. Sale needed 2,026 innings, which beat legend Randy Johnson – who recorded 2,500 strikeouts in 2,107 ⅔ innings.
You can view the strikeout here
Sale, who was traded to the Braves in 2023 by the Boston Red Sox, has had a career resurgence with his new team. After Sale helped lift the Red Sox to a World Series title in 2018, he faced a slew of injuries the following years including Tommy John surgery. He also suffered a stress fracture in his ribcage, broke his pinky finger when he was drilled by a comebacker and broke his wrist riding his bicycle while rehabbing his finger.
But in 2024, Sale went 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA, 225 strikeouts and a 1.013 WHIP en route to his first career Cy Young Award.
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