We have had to adjust our expectations when it comes to what an ace looks like in the postseason.
Throughout the entire 2020 playoffs only two pitchers threw into the eighth inning. It's how things are done. The last time a Red Sox pitcher threw nine innings in October (Josh Beckett), freshmen in high school hadn't been born yet.
For additional context, Tampa Bay's Wander Franco was 6 years old.
But that doesn't mean Chris Sale can't send a pretty powerful message Friday night.
Forget about the lefty's last appearance, or those postseason bumps in the road he has endured in some of his four playoff starts. Disregard the fact that he Sale is still trying to find his changeup, or that he has never pitched more than 5 1/3 innings in October. Or that the last time he faced off with Tampa Bay the Rays managed 10 hits in just 3 2/3 innings.
This is the right guy and the right time to save the Red Sox' season.
"I think experience helps out a lot in this situation with the playoffs and the postseason," Sale said prior to Game 1. "You know, it's what we did in '18. You know, we were a little bit more prepared then because we could kind of rest some guys getting into the playoffs, but, I mean, there's no reason to save an arm to go sit on the couch, you know what I mean? This is all the baseball we have left, and we're going to get to certain points in these series where tomorrow might not come, so if that's the case and it's what's called upon, you know, it's my job. It's what I signed up to do.
I know a lot of people like to think about the glitz and the glam of what it's like being this, but the grit and the grind is what we're here for. And this is what we actually signed up to do, and this is what we live for, so if it's the first 15, 18, 21 outs or the last two, three, six, whatever it is, we got a bunch of pitchers in there that have the same mindset. It doesn't matter when or where. Just hand me the ball, and I'm going to sling it until you take it.
Start with what Sale has proven he can do against Tampa Bay, having gone six straight starts vs. the Rays without allowing more than two earned runs. In his seven outings at Tropicana Field while wearing a Red Sox uniform, the southpaw has gone at least six innings in all but one, compiling an ERA of 2.53.
Some might suggest it's unfair to throw this be-all, end-all proclamation at a guy who hadn't pitched in big league game in two years prior to August. Perhaps he isn't the pitcher he once was, or will be.
No matter. This is what it is. Sale has enough to deliver exactly what the Red Sox need in Game 2 of the American League Division Series.
"Chris is an extraordinary pitcher," said Red Sox hurler Nick Pivetta after Thursday night's loss. "He has been his whole entire career. I think it's going to give us a lot of confidence going into that game tomorrow, and, you know, it's just being positive and going out and just having fun at the end of the day and really, like you said, splitting the series is a priority for us. And I think that's what we need to focus on going forward and it's just not making the moment too big, but just having fun and going about it because this is what everybody dreams of."
The key phrase there: "I think it's going to give us a lot of confidence going into that game."
Normally, the sting of watching the Rays do Rays-like things all over Tropicana Field Thursday night would plant unshakeable doubt into the heads of the Red Sox. But the pitcher Alex Cora's team is carting out for Game 2 is carrying the "Chris Sale is on the mound" card.
And whether or not that is realistically the kind of thing we had become accustomed to throughout Sale's five-year stay in Boston, that's how the Red Sox choose to view it.
It might look a little different. And perhaps even a Shane McClanahan-esque outing from Sale isn't good enough because there are no runs to go along with it. But right now, Sale is the Red Sox' life preserver, keeping this club afloat until they can get back to Fenway Park.
The Red Sox have never needed an ace more than Friday night. Fortunately for them, there is a 6-foot-6, 185-pound pitcher who everyone wearing the red, gray and blue believes is the man for the job.
"We're good. We're good," Cora said after the Game 1 loss. "I love the at-bats today. Like I said, you know, we put some pressure on them. They made some plays. We hit some balls hard, but we got Chris, and he is ready to go. So the bullpen is rested, so we should be OK."
Brought to you by Botello Lumber, your local Andersen Windows dealer. Make home your favorite place to be.
