White Sox, Blue Jays play game in 1 hour, 54 minutes
CHICAGO — Wins haven’t come as easily as strikeouts for Chris Sale this season. That’s why the left-hander had no regrets about losing his bid to break a strikeout streak record in one of the Chicago White Sox’s more rousing wins.
Sale pitched a six-hitter that led the White Sox past the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 Monday night in the fastest major league game in almost four years.
Sale (7-4) had struck out at least 10 batters in eight straight starts, matching the major league mark set by Pedro Martinez in 1999.
Sale fanned six in a complete game, outpitching former mentor Mark Buehrle (9-5), who also went the distance.
“I’ll take this outcome over that any day,” Sale said. “I mean, it’s one of those things, it’s cool, it’s fine. But we won the game, and I’m not gonna pout at all.”
There were no walks in a game that took only 1 hour, 54 minutes. It was the speediest big league game since Tampa Bay and Kansas City took 1:53 on Aug. 9, 2011, according to STATS.
“It was fantastic. Both of them were fantastic,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. “It was a great ballgame. Got away there at the end.”
All of Chicago’s runs were unearned. An error by shortstop Jose Reyes leading off the eighth helped the White Sox score three times and overcome a 2-1 deficit.
“I need to make that play,” Reyes said. “The ball didn’t do anything. It was right to me. That have to be out right there. That’s why we lost the game.”
Josh Donaldson and Chris Colabello hit solo home runs for Toronto.
Sale began the game pitching more like Buehrle, getting five outs on grounders in the first two innings. In fact, Sale allowed a homer — a solo shot to Colabello leading off the third inning — before recording his first strikeout when he got Devon Travis looking for the second out in the third.
