Chris Sale threw an immaculate inning to highlight his third straight win since returning from Tommy John surgery as the Boston Red Sox crushed the visiting Minnesota Twins 12-2 in the rubber match of a three-game series Thursday night.
Bobby Dalbec homered twice and had a career-high seven RBIs to carry the Red Sox to their fourth win in six games. Rafael Devers hit his 30th home run and drove in three, and Kyle Schwarber reached base five times (double, four walks).
According to MLB Stats, Sale joined Sandy Koufax as the only pitchers on record to throw three immaculate innings — striking out the side on the minimum nine pitches. He fanned Rob Refsnyder on a slider to complete the feat in the third inning.
By that point, the left-hander had already received a 3-0 lead to work with on Dalbec's blast off Twins starter John Gant over the Green Monster in left-center in the second. Boston upped its advantage to 4-0 on an Alex Verdugo RBI single in the third.
Willians Astudillo hit a two-run shot for the Twins, who have dropped five of six. Astudillo later came on to pitch with the game well out of reach.
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Sale took a no-hitter into the fifth before Ryan Jeffers singled with one out and scored on Astudillo's blast. After the Red Sox got a run back to make it 5-2 in the bottom of the frame, Sale pitched into the sixth for the first time in his three starts, getting the hook after a walk and hit by pitch with one away.
Garrett Whitlock came on and escaped the jam with no further damage.
Sale (3-0) allowed the two runs on two hits and two walks, punching out eight. He threw 80 pitches.
Boston blew the game open with a five-run sixth. Dalbec singled home a pair and Devers crushed a two-run shot to highlight the outburst. The 30-homer campaign is the second of Devers' career.
Dalbec's two-run homer in the seventh capped the scoring.
Gant (4-8) surrendered four runs on three hits and three walks in four innings. He struck out three.
