ST. LOUIS — Chris Sale is only 26, yet he’s been a fixture in the White Sox clubhouse longer than only John Danks, Alexei Ramirez and Gordon Beckham, minus the latter’s month-and-a-half sabbatical in Anaheim.
The left-hander is the undisputed ace of the White Sox rotation and has cemented himself as one of baseball’s best pitchers entering his start Tuesday night in St. Louis, No. 100 of his career. If he racks up a double-digit strikeout total against the Cardinals, he’ll join Pedro Martinez as the only pitchers in major league history with 10 or more strikeouts in eight straight starts.