Sale's 300-K season pales in comparison to Pedro's legend-making 1999
In his first season with the Boston Red Sox, Chris Sale reached a historic milestone Wednesday when he became the first American League pitcher to strike out 300 hitters in a season since Pedro Martinez did it for the same Red Sox in 1999.
The 28-year-old southpaw has been nothing short of spectacular for the Bean-towners since arriving in a preseason trade from the Chicago White Sox and is competing in what appears to be a two-man race for the AL Cy Young with the Cleveland Indians' Corey Kluber.
He's been utterly dominant as one of the season's best pitchers - of the past six seasons, really - but even if he exceeds Martinez's mark of 313 strikeouts from '99 (Sale is scheduled to make one more start this season), there's no chance he'll be able to live up to a legendary year from Martinez.
Related: Sale becomes 1st AL pitcher since 1999 to record 300-K season
In 1999, Martinez's second season with the Red Sox, the then-27-year-old put together an unthinkable campaign, when he won the pitching Triple Crown with his 313 Ks, 23-4 record, and 2.07 ERA while claiming his second Cy Young award. The diminutive Martinez was nearly untouchable with only one bad outing - July 18 against the Florida Marlins (12 hits, seven earned runs).
Sale's double-digit strikeout run from April through mid-May was some of the best pitching of the year and may be a contributing factor in the club potentially taking home the AL East crown, but there's just no way to live up to Martinez's astonishing 1999 season.
| PITCHER | SEASON | GS | W-L | IP | SO | H9 | HR9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pedro Martinez | 1999 | 29 | 23-4 | 213.1 | 313 | 6.8 | 0.4 |
| Chris Sale | 2017 | 31 | 17-7 | 209.1 | 300 | 6.8 | 0.9 |
Not only did Martinez strike out 313, becoming just the ninth modern-era pitcher with two 300-strikeout seasons, he also posted a ridiculous 1.39 FIP, 0.92 WHIP, and 243 ERA+, and he should've been the AL MVP, but was denied the honor after some controversial voting left Ivan Rodriguez as the winner.
Statistics aside, what really put Martinez on a pedestal in Boston was his gutsy effort during Game 5 of the AL Division Series against the Cleveland Indians. With Bret Saberhagen and Derek Lowe struggling to contain the hot-hitting Indians in a crucial season-deciding contest, Martinez (who was suffering from a strained back) said in 2014 he put his "career in jeopardy" by stepping on the mound in relief and pitching six no-hit, shutout innings for the series-deciding victory.
Martinez's performance at Jacobs Field that night was one for the ages and is surely remembered by fans as a legacy-defining moment. It helped cement his place in Beantown lore, even before five more years of solid contributions to the organization.
Sale has a very good chance of eclipsing Martinez's strikeout mark when he pitches Sept. 26 against the Toronto Blue Jays and is likely on the way to creating his own Boston legacy, but '99 was the year that made Martinez a legend who will never be forgotten by Red Sox nation.