Christopher Allen Sale (born March 30, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball.
Early life[]
Sale was born in Lakeland, Florida. He graduated from Lakeland Senior High School.[1] After his senior year for the Dreadnaughts, Sale was drafted in the 21st round of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft by the Colorado Rockies, but chose not to sign and instead attend Florida Gulf Coast University.
College career[]
He played college baseball at Florida Gulf Coast University. During the 2010 season at Florida Gulf Coast, Sale posted an 11–0 win-loss record and a 2.01 ERA over 17 games. Sale pitched 103 innings while striking out 146 and walking 14. He led the NCAA in strikeouts at the end of the regular season. He was awarded the National NCAA Pitcher of the Year in 2010.[2]
In the summer of 2009, Sale pitched for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[3] Chris had a record of 4–2 and an earned run average of 1.47 with Y-D, with 57 strikeouts as well. He was awarded the MVP in the Cape Cod all-star game.[4]Template:Better source
Professional career[]
Draft and Minors[]
Sale was drafted by the White Sox 13th overall in the 2010 MLB Draft.[5] He is one of five players in MLB history to play the same year he was drafted.[6]Template:Dead link
Once Sale signed with the White Sox in 2010, he was assigned to the White Sox' Class A affiliate Winston-Salem Dash. Sale pitched in four games for the Dash with a 2.25 ERA in four innings. Sale gave up three hits, one earned run while walking two and striking out 4 during his tenure with the Dash. Sale was then promoted to the White Sox triple-A affiliate Charlotte Knights. While there, Sale pitched in seven games for the Knights with a 2.84 ERA in 6.1 innings. Sale gave up three hits, two earned runs while walking four and striking out 15 during his tenure with the Knights.
Chicago White Sox (2010-2016)[]
2010[]
Sale was called up to the majors for the first time on August 4, 2010 and made his MLB debut August 6, 2010 against Baltimore Orioles in the 8th inning.[7] Sale was also the first 2010 draft pick to be promoted to the majors. He got his first major league save on September 1, 2010, against the Cleveland Indians.[8] In 21 appearances of his rookie year, Sale went 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA, 32 strikeouts, and 4 saves.
2011[]
During 2011, Sale made 58 appearances out of the bullpen with a 2-2 record, a 2.79 ERA, 8 saves, and 79 strikeouts.
2012[]
The White Sox announced that Sale would transition to a starting pitcher for the 2012 season. On May 28, 2012, Sale struck out a career high 15 batters in seven and a third innings during a 2–1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. Sale's 15 strikeouts are tied for second most in franchise history with Eddie Cicotte, Ed Walsh and Jim Scott. Jack Harshman holds the White Sox team record with 16 strikeouts in a game.[9] Sale was named the American League Pitcher of the Month for the month of May with a record of 4–1, ERA of 1.71, 35 strikeouts and a .181 opponents average over six games.[10]
Sale was chosen by American All-Star manager Ron Washington to pitch in the 83rd All-Star Game in Kansas City. This marked Sale's first All-Star appearance.Template:Cn
During the 2012 season, Sale compiled with a 17-8 record, a 3.05 ERA, and 192 strikeouts. He was 6th in voting for the AL Cy Young Award.
2013[]
On March 7, 2013, Sale and the White Sox agreed on a five-year, $32 million contract with two option years depending on the team.[11]
On May 12, 2013, Sale threw a 1-hit shutout during a 3-0 Sox victory over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Sale took a perfect game into the seventh inning. With one out in the top of the seventh inning, Mike Trout singled up the middle for the only hit of the game. Sale finished the game with 7 strikeouts and no walks, allowing Trout as the only base runner.[12] Sale began the 2013 season with a 6-8 record and a 2.85 ERA. He was named an All-Star for the 2nd season in a row. He was the winning pitcher during the 2013 All-Star Game when the American League won the game 3-0.
Pitching style[]
Sale relies on four pitches — a four-seam fastball at 93–98 mph, a two-seam fastball at 91–93 mph, a slider at 79–83 mph, and a changeup to right-handed hitters (81–84 mph). The slider, bolstered by a career whiff rate of 43%, is Sale's most common 2-strike pitch to hitters from both sides of the plate.[13]
Sale throws with a "funky" sidearm throwing motion.[14]
See also[]
Template:Portal
- Major League Baseball Pitcher of the Month
References[]
- ↑ [ http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=salech01 Chris Sale Stats]. http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=salech01.+Retrieved on November 26, 2012.
- ↑ Sale Named National Player of the Year by Collegiate Baseball. FGCU Athletics. Retrieved on 29-AUG-2013.
- ↑ http://yd-redsox.org/archives/2009/roster/
- ↑ http://soxbronzetitan.wordpress.com/2010/06/07/chris-sale-cape-cod-league-stats/
- ↑ Chris Sale. Baseball-Reference.Com. Retrieved on November 26, 2012.
- ↑ White Sox Draft LHP Chris Sale
- ↑ Two-Month Sale: White Sox call up rookie
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ Sale fans 15 Rays during 2-1 White Sox victory
- ↑ Sale named AL Pitcher of the Month
- ↑ http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/sports&id=9019587
- ↑ Sale throws 1-hitter as White Sox beat Angels 3-0. The Associated Press. Retrieved on May 12, 2013.
- ↑ Brooks Baseball · Home of the PitchFX Tool - Player Card: Chris Sale. Brooks Baseball. Retrieved on 28 August 2012.
- ↑ van Dyck, Dave (June 11, 2012). Chicago White Sox: The skinny on rising star Chris Sale. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on 28 August 2012.
External links[]
Template:Commons category
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball-Reference, or The Baseball Cube
- Baseball Almanac