Chris Sale Joins Elite Company with Strong Start to Season

Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale allowed three earned runs on six hits and one walk over 7.1 innings while striking out six against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night.

While Wednesday's outing was substandard for the 28-year-old southpaw, his collective start to the 2017 campaign earned him a comparison to some of baseball's great pitchers. Sale's six strikeouts Tuesday pushed him to 101 over his first 10 starts this season, joining Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling and Roger Clemens as the only five pitchers since 1900 to do so, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Sale's streak of eight straight games with at least 10 strikeouts came to an end Wednesday evening, but he still picked up his fifth win to move his record to 5-2 on the season. Through 10 starts, he owns a 2.34 ERA along with league highs in innings pitched (73) and strikeouts (101).

An offseason addition via trade from the Chicago White Sox, Sale's start to the season puts him on track to challenge 2014 for his best career campaign. Though he's still in just his eighth major league season, Sale has already garnered five All-Star nominations and should receive a sixth this July.

Sale's next scheduled opportunity to toe the rubber arrives Tuesday against the White Sox as he returns to Comiskey Park for the first time since being traded in the offseason.