SEATTLE -- Well, this was no way for Chris Sale to celebrate his new contract.
The Red Sox starter, who just signed a four-year, $145 million extension last week, turned in one of his worst outings since coming to Boston. The Sox' Opening Day hurler allowed seven runs on six hits, giving up three home runs to the Mariners over just three innings. Two of the homers came off the bat of Tim Beckham, with Edwin Encarnacion launching the other. Beckham game into the game 0-for-15 with nine strikeouts against Sale.
Sale, who did strikeout the side to kick things off, needed 76 pitches to get his nine outs. He ultimately gave way to reliever Hector Velazquez with the Red Sox in a 7-2 hole. The seven runs equaled the most allowed by Sale since he became a member of the Red Sox.
"It sucks," Sale said afte the Red Sox' 12-4 loss. "The first one of the year you want to start off on right foot, like I said we set ourselves up nicely, we were 2-0 going out there for the second inning. I really just deflated us with that, three runs. Heym it's a one-run ballgame, anything can happen, then go back out there and completely stink the place up. It's not what I needed to do."
Tim Beckham with the first homer at T-Mobile Park -- pic.twitter.com/npysTtEGY3
— Seattle Times Sports (@SeaTimesSports) March 29, 2019
