Chris Sale talked about the ‘weird’ nature of facing former Red Sox teammates
"I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again until I run out of breath. I love those guys."
Chris Sale on facing his former teammates: In his seven seasons with the Red Sox, Chris Sale experienced the full range of emotions. He delivered two incredible seasons in his first two years with Boston, culminating with a World Series championship in 2018 (with Sale recording the final out himself, striking out Manny Machado).
Over the next five years, however, Sale experienced more difficult circumstances. Limited by a series of injuries, he went just 17-18 with a 4.16 ERA in 298 1/3 innings from 2019-23.
In the offseason, he was traded to the Braves. Now 35, Sale faced his old team on Wednesday. He finished the night allowing zero runs and striking out 10 over six innings in a 5-0 Atlanta win.
After the game, he discussed the odd nature of having to compete against his friends and former colleagues.
“It’s always weird facing your old team,” Sale told reporters after the game, per MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “I’ve obviously only done it once before with Chicago. It was a little bit different this go-around.”
Examining the Red Sox roster, Sale looked back at how much players grew during his time with the team.
“Yeah, we won a championship together,” recalled Sale. “I watched Rafael Devers make his Major League debut and turn into a $300 million superstar. I was watching Kutter Crawford at FGCU. That guy is like a little brother to me. Even Nick Pivetta, he lived in Southwest Florida and we had an entire offseason together. The list goes on and on. I could sit here and talk about [Alex Cora] for the next three hours. It’s different.”
Emphasizing that he had no hard feelings with the Red Sox over the trade, he called it, “about as clean a break as you could possibly have from one team to another.”
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again until I run out of breath. I love those guys,” Sale explained. “I always will. The memories I made with them were good and bad. On the flip side of that, this is a competitive game and we have a job to do.”
Trivia: Chris Sale is an alumni of the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he pitched for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in 2009 (going 4-2 with a 1.47 ERA). What former Red Sox manager also played for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, where—as a 17-year-old—he hit .294 and led the league in runs scored.
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: Along with the Red Sox, he also managed the Rangers and Mets.
Scores and schedules:
The Bruins lost to the Panthers 6-1 in Game 2 of the second-round playoff series on Wednesday. Game 3 will take place back at TD Garden on Friday at 7 p.m.
The Red Sox lost to Chris Sale and the Braves, 5-0 (with the former Boston ace throwing six scoreless innings, recording 10 strikeouts). Boston has a day off today and begins a three-game set against the Nationals at Fenway Park on Friday at 7:10 p.m.
Tonight, the Celtics host the Cavaliers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at 7 p.m. Boston leads Cleveland in the best-of-seven series 1-0.
Also tonight, PWHL Boston starts its inaugural playoff run on the road against Montreal at 7 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
- Takeaways: Bruins drop sloppy Game 2 to Panthers
- David Pastrnak’s brawl with Matthew Tkachuk caps third-period slugfest between Bruins, Panthers
- Chris Sale shuts down his former team as Braves beat Red Sox 5-0
- Former Patriots detailed awkward Bill Belichick-Robert Kraft tension prior to Tom Brady roast
- Charles Barkley said the Celtics-Cavs series will be ‘quick and painless’
- What Drake Maye said he needs to work on the most heading into rookie minicamp
- Patriots reportedly interviewing two outside candidates for de facto GM role
The Patriots’ search for a leading executive: While New England might not technically hire a general manager, the “leading football executive” (or however it will be defined) is a role the Patriots are currently trying to fill. Director of scouting Eliot Wolf is seen as a strong contender, but others are being interviewed.
On this day: In 2010, the Celtics defeated the Cavaliers 97-87 in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Rajon Rondo produced one of the best performances of his career, totaling game-highs in points (29), rebounds (18), and assists (13).
Boston would go on to win the series in six games, ending the first LeBron James-Cleveland era with a forgettable early playoff exit.
Daily highlight: The Red Sox were shut out on Wednesday, partly due to former Boston ace Chris Sale, and partly (in one particular case) because of Atlanta left fielder Jarred Kelenic.
Trivia answer: Bobby Valentine
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