Chris Sale Collects 1,500th Career Strikeout in Historic Fashion

Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale struck out 11 batters while giving up just three hits and no earned runs during Tuesday's 3-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. In doing so, he hit the 1,500-strikeout mark over just 1,290 innings, faster than any other pitcher in MLB history, per Elias Sports Bureau.

With Tuesday's performance, the 6'6" lefty also reached double-digit strikeouts for the 17th time this season in 27 starts. He'll enter September needing just 36 Ks to reach the 300 strikeout mark on the year.

Sale has certainly wasted no time adjusting to his new team this season, having spent the first seven years of his career as a member of the Chicago White Sox. With his 11 strikeouts Tuesday, the six-time All-Star also became just the fifth pitcher to record at least 264 strikeouts during their first year with a new team over the last 30 years.

The 28-year-old has finished five of his eight seasons within the top six in Cy Young voting, including a No. 3 finish back in 2014 when he posted a 2.17 ERA with a league-leading 10.8 strikeouts-per-nine-innings. Sale also leads the majors in strikeouts-per-nine (12.8), having already done so twice in previous campaigns during his career.

Sale will make his next start Sunday against the New York Yankees, where he'll look to build on his already historic 2017 campaign. He's currently posting a 15-6 record with a 2.77 ERA and 0.91 WHIP and should join the Cy Young conversation in the American League once again.