White Sox's Carlos Rodon strikes out first 7 batters, ties AL record
CHICAGO -- Chicago White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon tied an American League record by striking out the first seven Minnesota Twins batters Friday night.
Rodon, 23, matched the mark set by Joe Cowley of the White Sox on May 28, 1986, at Texas. The major league record to start a game is eight strikeouts, set by Houston's Jim Deshaies in 1986 and matched by Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets in 2014.
Four of Rodon's strikeouts came on sliders, two on fastballs and one on a changeup. He got John Ryan Murphy looking on a 97 mph fastball to lead off the third. Logan Schafer ended the streak with a double to right.
Rodon finished with 10 strikeouts in six innings in a 7-3 victory.
He struck out 11 in his previous outing, including the final three hitters he faced, in a win Sunday at Cleveland.
Rodon was the third overall draft pick by the White Sox in 2014. He is 9-10 with a 4.04 ERA this season.
