Chris Sale went with jean shorts held up by stars-and-stripes suspenders. He added a stars-and-stripes bow tie and a red, white, and blue hat that featured blinking lights.

In honor of Independence Day, players, coaches, and staff were supposed to wear red, white, and blue. How they wore those colors was up to them.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Red Sox had a special dress code on Wednesday when they left Washington for Kansas City and the last leg of a three-city trip.

Sale also wore star-shaped sunglasses in a flag motif.

As for a shirt, he passed on that.

Brock Holt posed for a photo with Sale and posted it on his Instagram story.


“Chris wins” was the caption.

It was the latest sign of just how comfortable Sale has become with the Red Sox. In his second season with the team, the lefthander is letting his personality show more often and taking on a more active leadership role.

“He competes. He’s a great teammate,” manager Alex Cora said. “He shows up every day and he’s willing to help people out. He brings a lot of energy.”

The comfort shows with his work on the mound, too. Sale is 8-4 with a 2.41 earned run average in 18 starts and has struck out 164 in 116 innings.

The last five games have been particularly dominant. Sale is 3-1 with a 1.03 ERA and has held opponents to a .134 batting average. He has averaged 13.9 strikeouts per nine innings in that stretch.

“He reminds me a lot of Randy Johnson now,” Cora said. “Right now, the way he’s throwing the ball.”

That’s not a comparison easily made given Johnson was a first-ballot Hall of Famer. But Sale is pitching to a level that even for him is startling.

“You look at him, it looks effortless right now,” Cora said. “He’s throwing and you look up and it’s 99, 100. He looks great; he’s healthy. He’s in a good spot.’’


Chris Sale has been especially dominant of late, logging a 1.03 ERA in his last five starts. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe staff/Globe Staff

The Sox gave Sale two extra days off after his start on June 1 and that led to an uptick in velocity. That Cora and pitching coach Dana LeVangie controlled his innings in spring training and early in the season has clearly paid off.

“He’s having a monster year,” Cora said.

Cora believes Sale should be considered to start the All-Star Game. With Houston’s Justin Verlander scheduled to start July 15, AL manager A.J. Hinch won’t have his ace available for the July 17 game.

But Sale’s last start before the break is scheduled for July 11. That would line him up to face the National League with extra rest.

Sale faced the Royals on May 1 at Fenway Park and allowed two runs, one earned, over seven innings. The game was 2-2 when he left and ended with the Royals winning, 7-6, in 13 innings.

Well-timed rest

Andrew Benintendi was out of the lineup for Wednesday’s 3-0 victory at Washington. But he did draw a walk as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning.

The Sox hope what amounts to a two-day break will serve him well.

Prior to Wednesday, Benintendi was 7 of 42 (.167) in his last 10 games with two extra-base hits and three RBIs. He also had struck out 10 times. His OPS has dropped from .915 to .854.


The Red Sox gave slumping outfielder Andrew Benintendi a two-day break, counting Thursday’s off day. Greg Fiume/Getty Images

History in the making

At 59-29, the Sox have their best record after 88 games since the 1978 team was 60-28 . . . The Royals have lost six straight and at 25-61 have the second-worst record in baseball . . . The Sox have 124 home runs, only 44 fewer than all of last season. They are on a pace to hit 228. That would be the second-most in team history. The franchise record of 238 was set in 2003 . . . The Sox are 30 games over .500 for the first time since ending the 2013 season 97-65.