A Successful Sale Day

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 Written by Matthew Ferreira

Image Via @RedSox Twitter 


 August 13, 2019, the lineup is Mookie Betts, Rafael Devers, Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez, Andrew Benintendi, Mitch Moreland, Marco Hernandez, Sandy Leon, and Jackie Bradley Jr. That was the last time Christopher Allen Sale threw a baseball for the Boston Red Sox. The all time leader in K/9, 2017 AL Cy Young runner up, seven time all-star, and three time all-star game starter pitched for the first time in two years and one day for the Boston Red Sox.


 Being in a locker room full of new faces, Chris Sale went 5IP, 8K, 2ER, 0BB, 6H in a 16-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Sale had an average of 93 on his fastball, 86 on his change up and 79 on his slider, all of which mirroring his career numbers. Sale had his best pitch, his slider, working early, striking out Trey Mancini on a sweeper in the first inning for his first strike out of 2021. 




 The Red Sox bats helped take some pressure off Sale giving him four runs in the first inning with the help of a no doubt home run by Rafael Devers to get the crowd at Fenway Park roaring after giving Sale a standing ovation.



 While Chris Sale was the headline of the day Alex Verdugo and Bobby Dalbec had great days as well Verdugo going 4-5 3R 1 RBI and Dalbec hit 2-4 2HR 3 RBI 2 R. The Red Sox offense made sure to take care of Sale giving him 14 runs of support in 5 innings before he was taken out of the game before the sixth inning. 


 Sale looked better than expected in his first start back and hopes to be one of many wins to help the Red Sox to and through the playoffs. It is hard to imagine, but Chris Sale should only get better as he is given a longer leash with pitch count and how deep into games he will be allowed to go. The best post-deadline acquisition is scheduled to start again Friday August 20 against the Texas Rangers, but may be pushed back a few days to give the recovering Sale some rest to give him more energy for the long run. 

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