A pair of celebrated southpaws added more hardware Monday, as Major League Baseball announced Red Sox ace Chris Sale and Cubs ace Jon Lester as the American and National League's Pitchers of the Month for June.
It's Sale's third time claiming the Junior Circuit's Pitcher of the Month honor, following his selections in May 2012 and June 2015 during his tenure with the White Sox. Lester, meanwhile, takes home his sixth Pitcher of the Month Award after previously winning twice in '08, once in '10 and twice more in '16.
Sale's 1-hit, 11-K scoreless gem The Red Sox have had little margin for error in their dizzying AL East arms race with the Yankees, and Sale has fearlessly helped them match the Pinstripes stride for stride thus far.