Red Sox reveal when Chris Sale will make first spring training start

The Boston Red Sox have started to map out their spring training rotation schedule, setting a target date for the debut of Chris Sale.

Ever since the Boston Red Sox completed the blockbuster deal that brought Chris Sale to town, fans have anxiously awaited the chance to see the ace lefty take the mound.

That wait is almost over.

Sale participated in throwing live batting practice Saturday morning, after which Red Sox pitching coach Carl Willis revealed that the southpaw will make his first spring training start on March 6 in West Palm Beach against the Astros.

The downside is that this game isn’t among the 15 games NESN will televise this spring, so unless you are planning a trip to Fort Myers next month then it seems you’ll miss out on watching  Sale pitch live in a game wearing a Red Sox uniform for the first time. Not to worry though, as there will be other opportunities.

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According to WEEI’s Rob Bradford, the plan is to have Sale make six spring training starts. He will throw a simulated game on Wednesday, followed by a side session two days later leading into his spring debut.

We still don’t know the date for Sale;s other five projected starts, but there would seem to be a solid chance that at least one of them falls on a day when the game will be televised – either on NESN, MLB Network or ESPN.

In the meantime, here’s some video of Sale throwing during this morning’s session to tide you over.

Sale could use a strong spring to get into a groove heading into the regular season. There’s no doubt that the newest member of the Red Sox rotation’s Big Three wants to make a good first impression, but slow starts have been an issue with him in the past. Sale’s career 3.32 ERA in March/April is higher than he has posted in any other months outside of September/October. He’s been brilliant in each of the months in between, but the beginning and end of his seasons have been below his usual standards.

Why could that be problematic? Just ask David Price. From about the middle of May onward last season, Price was in vintage form, but his numbers never quite recovered from the early hole he dug himself into. His rocky start left a sour taste in the mouths of Red Sox fans that wanted to label him a bust after a mere handful of starts, while his postseason dud cemented that line of thinking in the minds of many.

Price isn’t the first star pitcher to struggle in their first season in Boston. Now Sale is tasked with avoiding the same fate.

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Living up to the lofty standards of Red Sox fans is never easy, but Sale seems up for the challenge. His path to proving it begins in just over a week when he makes his first start of the spring.