We don’t know who the Boston Red Sox Opening Day starter will be, but we know who it won’t be. Chris Sale.
It wasn’t jarring for the 12-year veteran to hear from manager Alex Cora. Quite the opposite actually.
“He told me a while ago, and honestly, I really appreciate it,” Sale said Monday to WEEI on ‘The Bradfo Sho’. “He’s right, the last few Opening Days have been bittersweet for me, I guess. Opening Day is always a magical day, it’s Christmas for baseball players. When you don’t get to play, it’s like showing up to Christmas with no toys.”
In 2018 on Opening Day, Sale struck out nine in six innings, walking three and didn’t give up a run against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The following season — a completely different story. In just three frames, he struck out four but gave up seven runs and six hits in 18 batters faced.
Sale still knows that magic behind the first day of the season.
“It still is great, it still is fun, I still enjoy it, I still appreciate it – but I definitely understood why he did that,” Sale said. “And I just appreciate that. To be able to soak it all in and enjoy that day as a whole and not have the stress of getting ready for it and all this other stuff. And it’s my birthday.”
Sale will blow out 34 candles on his cake this year, and Cora told reporters on Sunday, he wants Sale to enjoy the day as a baseball player. He’ll end up in the rotation either way.
Across 12 seasons, Sale has averaged a career 3.03 ERA with over 2,000 strikeouts and a 1.04 WHIP.
In 2022, Sale suffered a broken wrist and fractured finger which put a halt on the season. As far as his spring outings go, he appears to be on track to put up some solid numbers.
Chris Sale. ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/iAMOcQrUnb
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 6, 2023
So who might be the starter for the Sox on Opening Day? When asked about Corey Kluber, Cora told Boston.com, “There’s a good chance.”
