“We go through the trenches together and put in a lot of hard work,” said Chris Sale. “They don’t call these the dog days for nothing. Having them have my back and being able to share that moment with them was special. I’m very appreciative of it.”

The seventh inning had just finished; Chris Sale was sitting at ninety-nine pitches and was so close to getting his 300th strikeout. He could be seen saying, “I’m good, I’m good,” as he was being asked about going in for the eighth inning. He then marched back out onto the field, quickly acquiring the first two outs. He was one strike away from making history. The count was 2 balls and 2 strikes. His next pitch was an 84-mph slider in the bottom left corner of the strike zone. He had done it.

Chris Sale has accomplished a feat most pitchers only dream of: 300 strikeouts. Sale started out as a baseball prodigy in high school and was drafted in the 21st round by the Colorado Rockies. He declined and continued on to play at the collegiate level for the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles Baseball team. After playing through college, he was drafted 13th overall by the Chicago White Sox.  

Sale became a successful relief pitcher for the White Sox; in his fifth MLB season, he earned eight consecutive 10+ strikeout games, tying the record with baseball legend Pedro Martinez. His high-profile pitching status elevated when he was traded to the Boston Red Sox at the end of 2016.

He reached the phenomenal statistic of 300 strikeouts this past week, the first American League pitcher to accomplish this since Pedro Martinez in 1999. He is only the fourth pitcher to accomplish this since the addition of the DH in 1973. Those who watched this moment truly experienced history.