Chris Sale says he’s ready to go in Game 1 vs. Yankees
Sale gave up 13 hits and four homers in two starts in the ALDS last year.
Chris Sale met with the media Thursday for the first time since his last start on Sept. 26, and expressed confidence that he is ready to go for Game 1 of the ALDS Friday night against the Yankees.
“We obviously had an extended period of time, so I was able to get a little more work in, get my feet back underneath me and get ready for this one,’’ said Sale.
Sale showed diminished velocity in his last start, and has used the extra time off to address that.
“I was able to get off the mound a couple of times and work on that,’’ said Sale. “Work on using my legs, driving a little bit more, get a little bit more rotation with my lower half and staying a little bit stronger with my top half. Just trying to sharpen the tools. Work on both sides of the plate, up and down, mixing speeds and staying strong.
“Any time you can get off the mound and get some good feedback from my guys and pitching coaches and catchers, just the way I feel in general is good,’’ Sale said.
Sale hope to learn from last year’s postseason, when he was 0-2 with a 8.38 ERA. He gave up 13 hits and four homers in two starts as the Sox were dismissed by the Astros in four games.
“Obviously pitching in the postseason is a little bit different,’’ Sale said. “Last year I got my feet wet. I didn’t do too well, but sometimes you learn from the bad more than the good.’’
