NEW YORK -- You want to talk about the right guy at the right time? Chris Sale is - and has been - it.
The Red Sox needed to win in Yankee Stadium Saturday night, not only because the remnants of Friday night's one-sided loss were still lingering, but, let's be honest, these games really, really matter. When the rubber meets the road in those final days of September, Alex Cora's club doesn't want to be regretting letting more than a few opportunities fly by in late June/early July.
This isn't home field advantage. We're talking about avoiding the desperation of a one-game playoff in order to cruise into the comfort of a seven-game series. That's what getting the better of Yankees in this division means.
Fortunately for the Red Sox, Sale once again served as the most dependable security blanket this rivalry has seen in some time.
"Outstanding again. Fastball command, offspeed pitches, it was a great performance," said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. "Into it from the first pitch. It was kind of cool to see him walking from the bullpen and getting booed by the fans. The fans were into it too and then at the end he got the last out of the seventh and it was fun to watch."
If there was ever a player who was worth it, this is the guy.
Two top prospects. Five top prospects. The outrageous type of packages teams often ask for when fielding inquiries about their aces. (Remember the crazy asks of Oakland and Cleveland when the Red Sox were searching for an ace prior to the 2016 season?) This is the guy who would have been worth any of it. And it's not just because he is really good. It's not only due to what has been a very team-friendly contract.
Sale's importance is what we witnessed Saturday night: Beating the Yankees when it counts the most.
"That shows the kind of team we are and the character of this team," Sale said. "We're not going to back down. We don't care who we're facing, what happened the night before, what's going on around the league. We show up ready to play. We show up ready to win. I think that was pretty obvious tonight."
The Red Sox starter kept doing what he does against New York, dominating. He came into the came with the best ERA in baseball history vs. the New Yorkers, an honor that was only cemented with his seven innings of one-hit ball in the Red Sox' 11-0 win at Yankee Stadium. (For a complete recap, click here.)
Even with the well-documented plan to reel in Sale's workload (he threw 101 pitches this time out), we don't know what is going to transpire come the season's final few months. The lefty looks better than ever, now carrying a 1.03 ERA (4 runs, 35 innings) in his last five starts. But, let's be honest, he did at this time last year as well.
That's OK. Sale is worth the blind faith. This was another example of that.
This is the second time the lefty has come up big this season against the team everyone knew would be their lone competition in the American League East, having giving up one run over six innings during an April 10 blowout win at Fenway Park. That is important. These games are important.
Fortunately for the Red Sox, they have an ace who understands the magnitude of the situation and pitches accordingly.
Chris Sale, I'm Just Gonna Throw this -- Right By You Face (and 99mph FB) pic.twitter.com/ZQ1z1ObvAZ
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) July 1, 2018Sale will become the 6th starter to pitch 7+ innings, allow 0 or 1 hit, and fan 11+ against the #Yankees in NY. Ever.First since 2000.All 6 have been #RedSox or #Indians.Look at those names!@bradfo @SmittyOnMLB @ChrisCotillo @jaysonst @alexspeier pic.twitter.com/bkyN0YRJw5
— Gary Marbry (@nuggetpalooza) July 1, 2018Rafael Devers hit a game-changing, first-inning grand slam, but he didn't stop there, collecting five hits. Others leading the Red Sox' offensive explosion were J.D. Martinez (3 hits) and Sandy Leon, who launched the only other Red Sox homer for one of his two hits.
