With 10 strikeouts against the Phillies and some of his fastest pitches in years, Chris Sale led the Red Sox to their 20th win of the season and 7th consecutive victory.
In the first five weeks of the season, there have been moments when Chris Sale looked like he just stepped out of a time machine from 2017, when he was a healthy tour de force in his prime.
Friday night in Philadelphia was one of those times.
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 in. 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.
