Chris Sale struck out Kevin Pillar of the Toronto Blue Jays in the second inning Tuesday night to reach 1,500 career strikeouts faster than any pitcher in Major League history.

"It's hard for me to fathom that a guy can record that many strikeouts in less than 1,300 innings," John Farrell said. "Really remarkable."

Sale, who struck out 11 and allowed three hits in seven innings, considered his achievement "pretty crazy."

"This game has been around a long time," he said. "To do that, it's cool. I appreciate it. I try not to get too caught up in it but I definitely take a step back and look at that and appreciate it."

The milestone came in Sale's 1,290th inning pitched.