Red Sox ace Chris Sale is coming back, be prepared MLB
Red Sox Nation is waiting with bated breath for the return of lefty ace Chris Sale and that day is inching closer and closer. The most exciting part of his pending comeback isn’t solely based on getting him back, but the version of the southpaw that will be on the mound. The former All-Star has not only healed from surgery but he’s totally changed the way he approaches the entire process of pitching, both before and after being on the mound.
Let’s just put it this way, this new version of Sale will make the previous one look like a beer-league softball pitcher. Earlier this week when talking to the media the lefty made it known that his pregame routine wasn’t exactly the best for his performance. From a poor diet to poor hydration and not enough sleep, the former World Champion wasn’t doing himself any favors.
"“I made a lot of changes, just with junk food and processed stuff and gluten,” Sale said. “The list goes on and on. Looking back, I didn’t really take really good care of myself in that aspect of my life — how I was fueling my body and the stuff I was eating. You can ask my teammates. I would show up on game day with a bag of McDonald’s or Taco Bell and that was my pregame meal to go pitch.”"
That’s right, folks, The Condor would roll up to the park with some T-Bell and then wreck the opposition. That’s the part of this entire thing that blows my mind. I eat some Taco Bell and I need to lay the hell down but Sale can go out that and chuck some mid-90’s gas like it’s nothing. Ridiculous! That alone should petrify the rest of the league. Not only is he coming back with a robot arm, but now he won’t be all jacked up on Quarter Pounders, good luck dorks.
It’s wildly insane to me that one of the best pitchers in the game was rocking Chalupas and some Baja Blast before taking the mound. Now that he’s thrown that ish in the trash, ya’ll better be scared as hell. Cleaning up his diet and working toward overall better habits has already proven to make a huge difference as he absolutely dominated for the Portland Sea Dogs the other night.
Following a strong start for the FCL Red Sox a few days ago he shut down Harrisburg to the tune of 3.2 IP/1BB/6K, stunning. While he did give up a few hits in the FCL he didn’t allow a single Harrisburg batter to get a hit against him. He has another start scheduled for Portland on Sunday and his results will decide if the Red Sox bump him another level to Triple-A. When this journey first began it felt like Boston was going to take his rehab very slow but I don’t think Sale is leaving that up to them.
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If he can go out for Portland on Sunday and have another lights outperformance, I can’t imagine they’ll waste much time with him in Worcester. A quick stop at Polar Park to get in some pitches against Triple-A level and the next stop is Fenway Park. Alex Cora spoke today about the new-look Condor and he couldn’t be happier not only with his starts so far but with how his body is reacting and recovering to the workload.
"“Everybody’s excited with what we saw yesterday. I’m happier with the way he reacted today,” Red Sox Alex Cora said Wednesday here at Sahlen Field before Boston’s game against the Blue Jays. “Hopefully, we keep progressing the way it should be and he’ll join us whenever he’s ready.”"
The Red Sox can’t get him back soon enough, especially if he’s going all-in on his preparation and recovery now. While the starting rotation has been strong and healthy through the first half of the season it feels like that could change in a hurry. Having Chris Sale back in the rotation will instantly make Boston a favorite among the opposition. Now that he’s healthy and has his routine dialed in like never before, everyone else needs to be scared.