June 30--Chris Sale takes the mound tonight in St. Louis with a chance to make some history.
If Sale strikes out 10 Cardinals hitters, he'll tie Pedro Martinez's 1999 record with eight consecutive starters with 10 or more strikeouts. He'll be facing the best team in baseball in a two-game series that could go far in restoring confidence to a White Sox team that desperately needs a hot streak.
Sale has been one of the best starters for a few years, but seems to have taken it to another level.
"Chris has been really good many, many times," pitching coach Don Cooper said. "The run he's had with the strikeouts make it stick out. The impressive thing for me has been from Day One. As soon as he stepped foot on (the Sox), he was good.
"As a reliever, he was well on his way to being the baddest left-handed reliever in the American League. I can't talk for the National League. Listen he's a three-time (bleeping) All-Star. This isn't new. He's on his way to (being a) fourth time All-Star.
"If the All-Star Game means anything, I want Chris Sale on the team if I'm in charge of putting names on it."
There's no doubt Sale will be on the AL team. But Royals manager Ned Yost, who will manage the American League squad, said last week his three choices to start would be the A's Sonny Gray, the Astros' Dallas Kuechel or the Rays' Chris Archer, neglecting to mention Sale.
Of course, Sale was involved in the April brawl with the Royals and tried to enter the visiting clubhouse during the game to confront starter Yordano Ventura, whom the Sox blamed for igniting the brawl. He was suspended for five games for his involvement.
Thankfully, Yost doesn't have total say over who will start for the AL team. Sale at least deserves to be in the running, especially if he breaks Martinez's strikeout streak record.
Going by WAR, the top two starters this year have been the Nationals' Max Scherzer (4.2) and Sale (3.4). That would be a worthy All-Star matchup, one pitting two starters who've been busy making history in the weeks leading up to the game. Archer, Kuechel and Gray are all having standout seasons, but Sale's experience should count for something.
Last week, Sale became the first pitcher since Randy Johnson in 2001 with seven straight starts of 10 or more strikeouts. He has 85 strikeouts over that 7-game span and only eight walks, an incredible 10:1 strikeouts- to-walks ratio. Opposing hitters have missed on 34.4 percent of their swings against Sale, the best since Martinez had a 35.8 percent rate in '99.
It's not only difficult to get a hit off Sale, it's hard to make contact, period.
"I think a big thing we're seeing over the years is more maturity, more keeping his emotions and head in check," Cooper said. "When the control tower is working he is really good because of the efficiency, his focus his commitment.
"When he gets flustered or angry -- sometimes somebody gets a hit and he gets (ticked) -- he wants to go to a level that I think loses that efficiency. He's able now to control his emotions and control his starts and commitment to each pitch ... He's been good for an awful long time here.
"They're all pretty good, but certain nights are better than others and the efficiency of dropping all his pitches in for strikes is awesome. When I think of any pitcher that's ever been good for us here, for any other pitcher that I have seen that is good, take away stuff, takeaway everything, the bottom line is pour them in. And he does that."
Sale is one of the few pitchers today where you think about the possibility of a no-hitter every time he takes the mound. Scherzer, who just threw a no-no against the Pirates and was one batter shy of a perfect game, is in that category as well.
So what would manager Robin Ventura do if Sale's pitch count was running up in the late innings of a no-hitter?
"It would be a tough decision," Ventura said. "I hope he puts me in that spot. Who knows what you're going to do at that point, depending on how his game is going. I would love for him to put me in that spot."
It's been an agonizing season for Sox fans, but watching Sale pitch has been one of the few things to look forward to each week.
Hopefully the powers that be overrule Yost and give Sale the All-Star start he richly deserves.
