Known for his trademark intensity (a trait that led him to angrily smash a clubhouse TV in Worcester last summer), Red Sox ace Chris Sale struck a noticeably softer tone in addressing the media after his start Monday against Detroit, reflecting on what has been a difficult past few years.
“It was awesome. Like I said, I just really appreciated the opportunity. I know I keep saying the same things, but there’s a lot of work that went into this, not only for myself but everybody here,” said Sale, who logged two scoreless innings in his Grapefruit League debut, helping the Red Sox improve to 7-0 this spring. “I’m just very thankful for those people, the training staff, the guys in the weight room, my teammates, my friends and family. I wouldn’t be here without all them. There’s no question. Appreciation is not even enough for how I feel about everybody.”
A day synonymous with winning, Red Sox fans used to approach “Sale Day” with the feverish anticipation of a rug rat waiting to open presents on Christmas morning. Unfortunately, his early success in Boston quickly gave way to disappointment with Sale’s heavy workload and unorthodox throwing mechanics finally catching up to him, looking like a shell of the pitcher who led the Red Sox to World Series glory in 2018.
Undone by injuries and diminished velocity, Sale has logged just 48 1/3 innings over his last three seasons, weathering countless setbacks including a freak injury against the Yankees last summer followed by a similarly unfortunate bike mishap weeks later. Though his failures took him to a dark place, Sale says he’s on the other side now, no longer burdened by the weight of expectations coming into a season where little is expected of the Red Sox coming off a frustrating last-place finish in the AL East.
“If I was doing this for me, I might not be doing it. These are for the people that got me here,” said Sale, whose fastball touched 96 mph Monday. “That makes it a lot easier to work hard, stay consistent, not slack off, appreciate things more.”
Humbled by his career downturn, the 33-year-old seems to have arrived at a healthier perspective, no longer taking his career for granted while making a conscious effort to enjoy every last morsel of a childhood dream that could be taken from him at any moment. “Any time you’re lacing ‘em up to go out and pitch you have pride, you have a goal and you don’t want to suck. The nerves are always going to be there,” said Sale, acknowledging the fleeting, ephemeral nature of his chosen profession as a major-league starting pitcher. “I wouldn’t say I ever lost that belief that I could do it, it’s just more doubt creeps in.”
It's refreshing to see this kind of vulnerability from Sale, confronting his limitations as an athlete while gaining a greater appreciation for those around him, supporting the left-hander through thick and thin. Who knows if Sale will ever return to the dominant form that made him a perennial Cy Young contender, though after so many years of hitting his head against the wall, you have to admire him for still trying.
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