Through first three starts with Boston, Chris Sale has come as advertised. The lanky lefty attacks the strike zone at a rigorous pace, gets outs and is passionate on the hill. Sale allowed one run and three hits over seven innings on Saturday afternoon while punching out 12 in route to his first Red Sox victory.
We saw some of the fiery competitor come out in his Red Sox debut at Fenway where he swatted a return throw after issuing a walk only to come back and punch out the next batter before ending his day. Each time he walks a batter, he lets himself hear it and that is a trait that the best of the best all possess.
Over his first three starts, Sale has allowed a combined 11 hits over 21.2 innings while striking out 29 batters. Ian Kinsler took Sale deep in the 6th inning in Detroit , something which the Tigers second baseman has done three times over the course of his storied career. A special hitter and a rare one that can jump on a Sale fastball despite all of his teammates being over-matched. But the story here is after the Sale homer, he bounced back immediately to strike out Nick Castellanos and with authority. Overall, Sale is 1-1 with a 1.25 ERA and could easily be 3-0 with the way he has pitched had he received a little more run support from his teammates.
That type of venom and cold-blooded mentality is exactly what you need to succeed in Boston. My friends, Chris Sale might as well be a rattlesnake with all of the venom he carries. This is a man that fans will come through the turnstiles to see and while it may not be the longest game you’ll ever attend due to the cerebral pace with which he operates, it will be glorious nonetheless. Not to mention the pitches he has in his arsenal. The fastball-changeup combo is lethal on it’s own, never-mind adding in a slider that can drill you in the shin and you still end up swinging because it looks like a strike. I almost feel sorry for opposing hitters stepping into the batter’s box against him, almost.
“Chris Sale, just dominant and strong, whatever adjective you want to attach to him.” Manager John Farrell singing the praises of his elite left-handed starter. Sale also chimed in on his start on Saturday and pitching at Fenway, “Before the game starter there was a lot of excitement and emotion and it’s a lot of fun to feed off of that and take it into the game.” On Fenway the lefty added “this is a very fun place to pitch.” His teammates have certainly taken notice and appreciated the work his done on the mound and feel obligated to do their part. Mitch Moreland added, ” It was nice to be able to put a couple of runs on the board for him and get him a win after the way he’s pitched the first few times out.”
Chris Sale is well worth the price of admission. Sit back with your cold beverage of choice and just enjoy the picture he paints on the hill with a baseball each time out.
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