Chris Sale
The Chris Sale era in Boston began with a bang Wednesday night. In a game in which temperatures hovered near 40 degrees or lower the entire night, Sale defied the cold with a simple t-shirt underneath his jersey, showing Boston before his first pitch the kind of toughness on this guy.
The start for Sale on the Red Sox was quite the shock for some, and many are still just thoroughly surprised that the Red Sox were even able to acquire the lanky lefty this winter.
Guys, Chris Sale is pitching for the Boston Red Sox tonight. CHRIS SALE is pitching for the Red Sox tonight. CHRIS SALE IS ON THE RED SOX
— Steve Perrault (@Steve_Perrault) April 5, 2017
Sale’s night on the mound at Fenway was nothing short of everything they paid for. The immediate turnout for prospects Michael Kopech and Yoan Moncada sure is sweet, regardless of how their major league careers turn out. If anyone was skeptical at first glance, that skepticism may have been put to rest.
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Sale gave the Red Sox seven shutout innings, surrendering only three hits while striking out seven Pirates, using varied fastball velocities, as high as 97 and as low as 87, adding in his sweeping slider and changeup to give the Red Sox all they bargained for.