Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale joined Kirk & Callahan on Tuesday morning and looked back on last year, but also ahead to his second season in Boston. To hear the complete interview, visit the Kirk & Callahan audio on demand page.
Like other players have in recent days, Sale acknowledged there were some issues with the team last season.
"For me personally, this was my first year. I didn't really know as a whole how to handle any of this stuff and what it was going to entail," he said. "Clearly, we ran into our bumps in the road. Had a couple of things come up, a couple of controversies, if you will. Those things are going to happen and I just think we got into a rhythm of finding a way to get to the next one last year.
"I think honestly, as a team and as a staff, as an organization as a whole, I think we did the best we could of handling all those situations and we have a good group of guys in there. They are pretty resilient. We can usually find a way to get through anything."
In the second half last year, Sale went 6-4 with a 3.12 ERA compared to a 11-4 record with a 2.75 ERA in the first half. The left-hander said he is changing the way he is doing things so he can stay strong throughout the year and into the playoffs.
"We are right in the middle of changing and a new program," he said. "It is easier for me to trust this process knowing the people I have conducting this whole thing."
Added Sale: "I wasn't as good in the second half as I was in the first half. Every game counts the same. The first game of the year is as important as the 80th game of the year as is the 147th game of the year. But, that being said, when you get to the end, you want to be as strong as you can and you want to sprint across that finish line. You don't want to be limping into the playoffs. You don't want to be limping into the most important time of the year. I think that is where I was. I wasn't able to break through and get that extra length and that is where we're at this year."
Sale has two more years left on his current contract, which has him making $12.5 million this year and $15 million next year -- one of the best values in baseball. The 28-year-old isn't thinking about his next deal.
"No. I am on the team this year, aren't I?" he said.
"I don't worry about that crap, honestly," Sale added. "I have one thing to do, right? Play baseball. Pitch. Be a good teammate. Those are all kind of all wrapped into one thing as what I am as a pitcher. I am not an agent. I am not an owner. I am not a general manager, so I know basically nothing about contracts. If and when that happens, all of them can take care of that. I am worried about baseball."
