fb-pixelChris Sale gets 300th strikeout as Red Sox punch ticket to postseason - The Boston Globe Skip to main content
RED SOX 9, ORIOLES 0

Chris Sale gets 300th strikeout as Red Sox punch ticket to postseason

Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale throws to the Baltimore Orioles in the first inning of a baseball game in Baltimore, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)AP

Sign up for Globe sports news alerts.

BALTIMORE — The conservative move would have been to take Chris Sale out of the game after seven innings on Wednesday night and protect the most dominant pitcher the Red Sox have had in many years.

Manager John Farrell decided instead to reward his ace, sending Sale back out to the mound against the Baltimore Orioles to make history.

Sale was ready. On a night the Sox rolled to a 9-0 victory and clinched at least a wild-card playoff berth, the number that will be remembered is 300.

Sale struck out Ryan Flaherty looking at a slider for the 300th strikeout of a remarkable season that still has a few chapters remaining to be written.

Advertisement



“I don’t want to downplay it or anything, but we still have a lot of work to do,” Sale said. “We have quite a few games left and hopefully beyond that. Keep your eye on the prize and look back on this when it’s all said and done.”

But Sale couldn’t help but smile as he considered the significance of what he accomplished. He is the 16th pitcher in history to hit the 300 mark, the first since Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers in 2015 and the first in the American League since Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez in 1999.

Martinez holds the Red Sox record of 313.

“That’s special,” Sale said. “I think we all know that’s about as good a company as you can get. Just appreciative of it; it’s fun. Being here and having that name thrown around is special to me. I don’t take it lightly.

“He’s one of the best to ever step on that mound. Being in the same sentence as him is pretty crazy to me.”

Sale said he did not know he needed one strikeout to reach 300 when he went back out to the mound in the eighth inning.

Advertisement



“No idea,” he said. “I knew I was close, but I didn’t know that I needed just one more.”

As Sale returned to the dugout, his teammates celebrated. The other starting pitchers led the applause and catcher Christian Vazquez waved a towel.

Out in the bullpen, the relievers also stood and paid tribute.

“It’s not an attainable number you would think,” Brandon Workman said. “You wouldn’t think anybody would punch out 300 in our league. It’s incredible.”

Farrell said he was tempted to take Sale out after seven innings given the big lead. But Sale had thrown 99 pitches to that point and not had a stressful inning. He also will get an extra day of rest before his next start.

Farrell also factored in Sale needing one more strikeout.

“You know what? Felt like he was in complete command of this game,” the manager said.

After Sale finished the inning, Farrell pulled him aside before he want back to the clubhouse. “Just mentioned to him it’s just been a pleasure to watch,” he said. “We know that there’s going to be a lot more ahead. To see that plateau reached, it’s obviously very unique.

“The person that he is; the teammate that he is. He represents this organization and the city of Boston in just a tremendous way.”

The extra inning cost Sale only 12 pitches. He hit 99 with the fifth of those, his best fastball of the night. In all, he struck out 13 without a walk over eight innings and allowed four hits. Baltimore advanced only one runner beyond first base. Sale is 17-7 with a 2.75 earned run average.

Advertisement



The 88-64 Sox are 5-1 on a road trip that continues Friday night in Cincinnati. They have won 11 of 14 since Sept. 5 but gained only a half-game on the Yankees, who finished off a three-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins earlier in the day.

The Sox lead the Yankees by three games for the division title with 10 games remaining. They clinched at least a spot in the Wild Card game on Oct. 3 when the Los Angeles Angels lost at home, 6-5, against the Cleveland Indians.

The Sox backed Sale with a wave of support against Wade Miley (8-14).

Mookie Betts had a two-run homer in the fourth inning. It was his 23rd of the season and 11th in 31 career games at Camden Yards.

Mookie Betts follows through on his two-run homer in the fourth inning Wednesday night.Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Hanley Ramirez who had not started since Sept. 9 because of a sore left shoulder and bicep, then doubled and scored on a home run by Deven Marrero.

Ramirez added a two-run double in the fifth and an RBI single in the ninth.

Dustin Pedroia ended an 0-for-20 skid with a two-run double in the eighth. That saved him from spontaneous combustion quite likely.

From there, it was left to Sale to cap the night. His wife, Brianne, and their two sons were at the game and joined the celebration. Sale’s oldest, 7-year-old Rylan, joined him in the clubhouse afterward.

Advertisement



When they walked out, Rylan was holding his father’s hand.


Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.