The Boston Red Sox moved on from Chris Sale, one of the last remaining members of the 2018 World Series squad, before the 2024 season. In the three years since, the ace has represented the Atlanta Braves on the National League All-Star team.
Sale has posted a 2.40 ERA, 1.054 WHIP and 31.4 strikeout percentage over 401.1 frames since Boston shipped him to the Braves nearly three seasons ago. He won his first Cy Young Award in 2024 and he would've been considered last year had he not lost seven or eight starts to the injured list.
Red Sox fans were, naturally, banged up about Sale's resurgence with the Braves — Boston's trade return, Vaughn Grissom, didn't fare well in the organization and Sale spent so much time on the IL over his last four years with the Sox. At the All-Star Game, Red Sox legend David Ortiz asked Sale how he rebounded so well with Atlanta and his answer will warm some Sox fans' hearts.
"I just felt like I owed it to Boston. Like hey, I need to give them everything I have because I really felt guilty for those years of not being able to show up and not play and that weighed on me heavy," Sale said. "After the '23 season I was like, 'I'm gonna train like I'm 23 years old again, I'm gonna launch baseballs, I'm gonna lift,' and then about halfway through all that I get traded."
Chris Sale still loves Red Sox after career resurgence with Braves
Sale told Ortiz that he was working harder than ever to make his last year in Boston as successful as possible. He'd pitched just 151 innings between 2021-23 after signing a five-year, $145 million extension in 2019, which was hardly worth it for the Red Sox. To make matters worse, they paid the entirety of his 2024 salary while he balled out for the Braves.
Clearly, Sale's efforts worked and he returned to his prime — or maybe reached it — at 34 years old. Even after Boston shipped him out, Sale's love for the city has never faltered. He said to Ortiz: "I don't know if they'll love me forever, but I'll always love them," in reference to Sox fans.
Even though Sale's Red Sox career ended on a sour note, Boston will always remember him fondly. His first two seasons with the Sox were incredible and ended with him securing the final out of the 2018 World Series, striking out team villain Manny Machado to secure the title for the winningest Sox club in history. Sale's extension and his eventual trade to the Braves didn't go well for the Red Sox, but Boston will always embrace the champion.
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