I’m too young to remember the days when every Pedro start was an event. I had never seen a starting pitcher in a Boston uniform that had the capability to strike out 300 batters annually until this past season. Chris Sale is hands down the most exciting pitcher I have seen start games for the home nine at Fenway Park.Every time the man steps to the mound there’s a tangible feeling that something incredible might happen.
In his first season in Boston, the southpaw topped 210 innings with a 2.90 ERA, and an ungodly 308 strikeouts to 43 walks. It seemed like every batter who stepped to the plate didn’t stand a chance.
Sale finished second last year in the Cy Young race after a comparatively rough last two months allowed Corey Kluber to overtake the top spot.
However, this year Sale has a potentially much more potent offense behind him and a division of competitors that looks to be about one and a half teams deep. With plenty of starts against the Rays, Jays, and O’s, look for Sale to match his monster numbers from last season and make a run at baseball’s top pitching award.
The Red Sox are smack in the middle of their competitive window and Sale has two years on his contract. I have never been so excited to watch a man throw a baseball and I hope everyone reading this feels the same way.