If you want something done right, do it yourself.

It’s a saying that goes back eons. It could also be Chris Sale’s slogan in 2018. The Boston Red Sox ace has done everything you could possibly ask of a top-of-the-line starter. Since 2014, he has struck out more batters than any pitcher in the American League. This year, he is among the league leaders in a half-dozen pitching categories.

He has done it all for the Sox this season. Except win.

Sale has only seven wins to show for his 17 starts this season. That’s not a major problem – in this age of advanced sabermetrics we know not to evaluate a pitcher based on his wins and losses. That said, you play the game to win, and the Red Sox, stunningly, are just one game above .500 in games started by Sale.

That’s why Sale has had to take matters into his own hands. He has had too many games when he has pitched brilliantly only to see his team struggle at the plate. It happened in his last road start at Minnesota when he retired the first 14 batters and gave up only two runs over seven innings in a game the Twins won 6-2.

So in his next start, Sunday at Fenway Park, Sale dialed it up a notch. He struck out 13 over seven dominant innings against the Seattle Mariners. He could have gone another inning, but with a 5-0 lead Manager Alex Cora saw a great opportunity to get Sale some rest after a strong day of work.

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“He looks fresh,” said Cora Sunday. “He’s throwing the ball well. We’re very pleased where he’s at now.”

The Red Sox should be. Sale has had only one real bump in the road this season. A month ago he gave up 10 earned runs over 101/3 innings in two starts against Atlanta and Houston. He was not happy after the two losses.

Since then, he has reminded us why he is the top gun in a rotation that has championship expectations. In his four starts since the Houston game, he has pitched 28 innings, struck out 43 batters and walked seven while giving up four runs.

Equally impressive has been the uptick in his velocity. He averaged 97.8 mph with his fastball against the Mariners, well above his season average of 94. In the last four starts, his increased velocity has made him almost unhittable.

“I think it’s just getting back into a little bit better rhythm,” Sale told reporters after his start Sunday. “I’ve been saying the same thing over the last three or four starts. It’s feeling good, getting into that tempo and getting back into a little bit better rhythm than I had been starting the year. I put a lot of work into it. I’m glad where we’re at.”

The results are obvious. We’re watching one of the game’s best pitchers get even better.

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“I always expect him to be awesome, but today he was ultra-awesome,” said Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley after calling Sale’s start for NESN. “There aren’t many guys like him in the league. There just aren’t. He’s special to watch.”

He’s had to be special nearly every time he takes the mound. The Red Sox offense has developed an unnerving habit of going dormant whenever Sale starts. Sale never complains, he always points out that the team’s offense is out of his control.

“Sometimes I walk around and wonder when he’s going to get upset,” Cora joked.

Sale wasn’t joking around Sunday.

He pitched the Sox to an impressive win, and threw himself back into the conversation for the AL Cy Young Award in 2018.

Tom Caron is a studio host for the Red Sox broadcast on NESN. His column appears in the Portland Press Herald on Tuesdays.


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