Former Chicago White Sox pitcher Chris Sale may have landed the team a huge return when they traded him in the offseason, but you likely won’t hear the Boston Red Sox complaining.
On Wednesday, Sale recorded his 300th strikeout of the season for the Red Sox, who are currently battling with the New York Yankees for the top spot in the American League East division. Sale has put up Cy Young-caliber numbers for Boston, and his strikeout milestone is an historic one.
According to Elias Sports, Sale became just the fourth pitcher to record 300 or more strikeouts in his first season with a new team. He became the first pitcher to accomplish the feat since Randy Johnson signed a free agent deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1999.
Nolan Ryan accomplished the feat twice, with the Angels (1972) and Texas Rangers (1989), and Steve Carlton was the first pitcher to ever hit the milestone with a new team as he did it with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1972.
Even though Sale has been a big hit for the Red Sox, it’s unlikely that the White Sox feel much sadness. After all, they landed Yoan Moncada and plenty of other quality prospects in the deal, and their rebuilding process has taken steps forward even as the big league team has struggled this season.
