Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale recorded his 2,500th career strikeout yesterday in the team’s Game Two doubleheader win over the Philadelphia Phillies, making him the 38th pitcher in modern history to achieve this feat. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Sale is the first pitcher to ever reach this mark in 2,026 innings or less, shattering the record previously held by Hall of Famer Randy Johnson (2,107 2/3 innings).
“I appreciate it for what it is, but I try not to get too caught up in stuff like that right now,” Sale said. “I know what our job is here. And no matter whether you have a good one or a bad one, the next one is the most important one.”
Unsurprisingly, Sale was more concerned with securing the win than he was with recording his 2,500th strikeout. Though the Braves lost the first game of the doubleheader, they won the second one 9-3.
Strikeout No. 2️⃣5️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ for Chris Sale! 👏 pic.twitter.com/0vgBq2v2l9
— MLB (@MLB) May 30, 2025
“You always want to leave a city you come into with at least one win,” Sale said. “Today was a tough day injury-wise. But you try to take one and get a happy flight home, and then get off on the right foot when we get back to the house.”
In that second game, Sale recorded eight strikeouts in six innings pitched while allowing just two hits. By recording his 2,500th strikeout, he joined Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, and Max Scherzer as the only active pitchers to have reached that milestone.
“He’s kind of doing Hall of Fame stuff,” said Braves manager Brian Snitker. “That guy is probably as big a baseball fan as anybody, just the history of the game and the competition. He’s a ballplayer, and it’s really cool to watch.”
Austin Riley, who had two hits, a home run, and four RBIs in that second outing, spoke about the respect he has for a veteran like Sale, who led the MLB in strikeouts last season.
“I love playing behind [Sale],” he said. “He goes to war with us. I’m really happy for him.”
Chris Sale is the FASTEST pitcher to 2,500 strikeouts in MLB history! 👏 pic.twitter.com/2PQhuZluG1
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) May 30, 2025
That victory snapped a three-game losing streak for the Braves, who have underwhelmed with a 26-29 record through their first 55 games of the season.
“Hopefully tonight is the start of something special and we can build off that because I do believe in these guys,” Riley said. “Hopefully, we can bottle it up and move on to tomorrow.”
The Braves are back home tonight, where they are getting set to take on Sale’s former team, the Boston Red Sox. That game is set to begin at 7:15 p.m. EDT.
