Chris Sale had 17 strikeouts when Alex Cora pulled him from Tuesday's game after the seventh inning.

The left-hander became the first pitcher to strike out 17 or more batters in seven or fewer innings.

After the game, Sale backed up his manager's decision.

"I don't think there's any pitcher on the planet … you've got 17 punchouts, you definitely want to go out for [another] inning," he said. "I'd love to have gone back out there, but I respect him as much as anybody on the planet and I'll never question anything he does, even in regard to that."

The Boston Red Sox went on to lose 5-4 to the Colorado Rockies in 11 innings.