Rafael Devers, Chris Sale Make MLB History In Red Sox' Win Over Indians
BOSTON (CBS) -- For a while on Tuesday night, it looked like the same old story for the Boston Red Sox. The starting pitcher kicked away a comfortable lead, the bullpen collapsed late, and another loss appeared to be in the team's immediate future.
Then, lo and behold, Francisco Lindor got caught stealing, Jackie Bradley Jr. hit a home run, and Andrew Cashner of all people locked down a save. The Red Sox won in Cleveland, by a final score of 7-6.
That victory helped make it a true celebration for Rafael Devers and Chris Sale, both of whom made MLB history on Tuesday night.
It began with Sale, who recorded his 2,000th career strikeout. He became the fastest pitcher to reach that mark, doing it in 1,626 career innings pitched.
That moved him past Pedro Martinez, who needed 1,711.1 innings to reach that mark. Randy Johnson needed 1,733.1 innings to reach 2K, followed by Max Scherzer, who needed 1,784 innings. Nolan Ryan, who owns the record for most strikeouts of all time, needed 1,865 2/3 innings.
Some strikeouts to go with your morning coffee. pic.twitter.com/QKGXa8wAkY
— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 14, 2019
Sale would finish the night with 12 strikeouts, bringing his total to 2,007. He's currently ranked ninth among active players in career strikeouts, and at 30 years old, he's the youngest player in the top 13 of that category.
Offensively, Rafael Devers had himself a night. The 22-year-old third baseman went a perfect 6-for-6, which is a rare enough feat in and of itself. But Devers also became the first player in history to ever hit four doubles while also recording six hits in the same game.
In one night, Devers increased his batting average by 8 points, increased his slugging percentage by 14 points, and increased his OPS by 21 points. He leads the American League in hits (158), doubles (43) and RBIs (93).
6 for 6
— Red Sox (@RedSox) August 14, 2019
4 doubles
3 RBI
Rafael Devers makes baseball look easy. pic.twitter.com/zX5Ih20xXq
Though Devers' night was still not perfect -- he ran into some adventures on the basepaths, and committed an error in the seventh -- he drew some high praise from his history-making teammate.
"Unbelievable," Sale said of Devers. "That's really all that needs to be said. He's one of the best players in the league and he's got a chance to be MVP. That's pretty special."