At a few moments this season, Chris Sale has looked like he just stepped out of a time machine from 2017, when he was a tour de force in his prime and the American League Cy Young runner-up.
Friday night in Philadelphia was one of those moments.
Sale pitched six innings, and though he gave up three earned runs, it was a blip on the radar of an otherwise dominant outing that culminated in a 5-3 Red Sox victory.
The game got off to a scary start. As Phillies starter Zack Wheeler stood on the mound, preparing to face his second batter, players from both bullpens (the two are stacked at Citizens Bank Park) began calling for help. A fan had been trying to retrieve a ball thrown to him on the landing above the pen, and fallen. EMTs took him away on a stretcher, but he was conscious and responsive while being taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
When the game resumed, the Red Sox took a quick 1-0 lead, giving Sale a slim cushion for his first frame. The 34-year-old lefty started the game by sitting the Phillies down 1-2-3 in the first. He went 11-for-11 in first-pitch strikes, and induced seven swings and misses in the first three innings.
Sale’s cruise hit rough waters in the fourth frame. Unable to glove a 3-ft dribbler, he allowed Harper to reach first base for a leadoff single, the Phillies’ first hit of the game. It was the first of four consecutive knocks, and suddenly, it was a tie game.
It was promising to see Sale undeterred by the snafu. He ended the inning with back-to-back strikeouts, tacked on two more in the fifth, and ended the sixth with his 10th strikeout of the night. He now has 80 career games with 10 or more strikeouts, the second-most in the majors since 2012. 45 of those games have been with the Red Sox, which puts him third in franchise history behind Pedro Martinez (72) and Roger Clemens (68).
Sale threw 98 pitches and kept his velocity consistently high throughout the game. He even threw his first 99 mph pitch since August 2018.
For months, the veteran southpaw maintained that he needed time and repetition in order to get back to his old self. The way he’s improved through his first seven starts back up his claim. His first three starts of the year totaled 12 innings, over which he allowed 15 earned runs, five homers, seven walks, and struck out 19 batters. Over four games since, he’s given up 10 earned runs, but no homers, issued four walks, and struck out 26. After he only reached five innings once in his first three starts, he’s gone five or deeper in each of his last four, including three starts of at least six innings.
Compared to the events of their four-game sweep of the Blue Jays during the week, the Red Sox lineup was quieter on Friday night. Masataka Yoshida extended his MLB-leading hit streak to 15 games, and Jarren Duran collected his 11th double (3rd most in the American League) in his 18th game of the season. All told, the Red Sox scored five runs on eight hits, though Duran’s double was the only one for extra bases and they went 4-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
No matter, the Red Sox bullpen continues to hold it down. Richard Bleier, Chris Martin, and Kenley Jansen combined for three scoreless innings, including a 5-pitch eighth from Martin.
Jansen hadn’t pitched since since April 29, when he’d battled through a sore back. He looked rusty at first, allowing a one-out single and walk before striking out Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner to clinch Boston’s 20th win and his seventh save of the year.
“Right now, we’re in a good spot,” Alex Cora told reporters after.
Indeed, the Red Sox have a seven-game win streak, longest in their league. They hold third place in their division.
And Chris Sale is a blast from the past.