Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale struck out the 2,000th batter of his illustrious career Tuesday, breaking Pedro Martinez's record as the fastest ever to do so.
Martinez - a Red Sox legend himself - required 1,771 1/3 innings to reach the milestone, while Sale bested the mark handily at 1,626 innings, according to MLB Stats.
Chris Sale reached 2,000 career strikeouts in 1,626 IP.
— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 14, 2019
The fastest in MLB history. pic.twitter.com/FaBwwLvDfe
The lefty also became the 83rd pitcher in Major League Baseball history to join the club and just the 15th to do so before reaching his 31st birthday.
Sale - who doesn't turn 31 until March 30, 2020 - notched his 2,000th punchout against Cleveland Indians outfielder Oscar Mercado.
| Pitcher | Ks before turning 31 |
|---|---|
| Walter Johnson* | 2467 |
| Nolan Ryan* | 2426 |
| Sandy Koufax* | 2396 |
| Sam McDowell | 2391 |
| Bert Blyleven* | 2357 |
| Don Drysdale* | 2307 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 2275 |
| Felix Hernandez | 2264 |
| Pedro Martinez* | 2220 |
| Christy Mathewson* | 2124 |
| Bob Feller* | 2108 |
| Tom Seaver* | 2099 |
| Roger Clemens | 2033 |
| CC Sabathia | 2017 |
| Chris Sale | 2000 |
* - denotes Hall of Famer
Sale has already cemented himself as one of the best strikeout pitchers of all time, posting the best K/9 in MLB history among starters with at least 1,500 innings. Entering Tuesday's contest, the southpaw had authored an 11.09 K/9 through 1,527 2/3 innings as a starter, with an 11.06 K/9 including his time as a reliever.
Among pitchers with at least 1,500 innings, Sale entered Tuesday leading an incredibly elite group:
| Pitcher | IP | K/9 |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Sale | 1623 | 11.06 |
| Randy Johnson | 4135 1/3 | 10.61 |
| Max Scherzer | 2252 | 10.54 |
| Pedro Martinez | 2827 1/3 | 10.04 |
| Clayton Kershaw | 2226 1/3 | 9.73 |
| Nolan Ryan | 5386 | 9.55 |
| Tim Lincecum | 1682 | 9.29 |
| Sandy Koufax | 2324 1/3 | 9.28 |
| Francisco Liriano | 1798 | 9.02 |
| Justin Verlander | 2921 2/3 | 9.00 |
''It's cool. It's special,'' Sale said postgame, according to The Associated Press. ''I'm not a guy who is really into his stats, but I respect it. I appreciate what it means. A lot of people put in a lot of hard work to help me get there.''
