Chris Sale has reached 2,000 strikeouts faster than any pitcher in Major League history.

He reached the milestone in the third inning on Tuesday night when he fanned Oscar Mercado of the Cleveland Indians.

Sale broke Pedro Martinez's mark by getting to 2,000 strikeouts in 1,626 innings. Martinez did it in 1,711 1/3 innings, Randy Johnson in 1,733 1/3 and Max Scherzer in 1,784.

"It's cool. It's special," Sale said. "I'm not a guy who is really into his stats, but I respect it. I appreciate what it means. A lot of people put in a lot of hard work to help me get there."