Alex Cora wasn't fooling around.
The Red Sox manager made a beeline for the chair for his American League Championship press conference, sat down and waited exactly 15 seconds before answering a question before any were asked.
"We're going Chris and we're going Nate. Chris is starting Game 1. Nate is starting Game 2," Cora told the gathering at Minute Maid Park prior to his team's workout.
He was diving in, just as was the case when actually making the decision to start Chris Sale in Game 1.
"It's a seven-game series. You have to win four," the manager elaborated. "Everybody has to be part of this. We feel comfortable with Chris with the rest that he got. And obviously giving Nate one more day is going to benefit. The off day, the structure of the bullpen tomorrow, so we should be OK."
Then comes the question ... why?
The first answer is simple, and one that Cora alluded to. You aren't going to get where you want to go without some sort of contribution from Sale.
There can be doubts about how the lefty might be able to weave his way through the high-powered Astros lineup at Minute Maid Park, and there probably should be. As Sale mentioned in his own press conference, he is coming off two starts in which he allowed a combined seven runs over 3 1/3 innings. And there is that one five-inning, seven-run outing in his only postseason matchup at Minute Maid Park four years ago.
But there is the premise that someone with the track record of Sale can't be held down forever. As Cora noted, David Price was mired in the same sort of conversation before he stepped up to throw six shutout innings on the road against the Astros in Game 3 of the 2018 ALCS.
"I mean, I know what it takes. We've been there as a team. We collectively know what it takes to get to the top and chase that pinnacle that we're all chasing," Sale said.
H"ow quickly it came crashing down a year later, personally for myself. As a team we didn't have a great year, but, you know, yeah, I had a lot of time off, and I had a lot of time to really get back to appreciating the little things and, you know, trying not to make more of something that isn't. And like I said a month or so ago, I don't take days for granted. I don't have off days. I don't waste Big League time anymore, and I think that gives me a clear mind pitching.
"When I suck, I know, hey, at least I did everything I could to get here. Not that I'll ever be okay with it, but it makes it easier to get back on the horse and say, all right, man, no one is going to feel bad for you. Back on the grind. You know, my work, my dedication I think is higher, and my appreciation for what I do is much higher."
Then there is the timing.
If Sale does falter, Cora is in a great position to be at the ready with the likes of Nick Pivetta or Tanner Houck. It's a backup plan that wouldn't have as much heft had either pitcher had to be used prior to Sale's start.
The plan is for Sale to go as long as he can. ("No, we're not doing the opener thing," Cora said.) But this time of year, benefit of the doubt gets shortened exponentially.
"It's Chris Sale. At one point he had to pitch in this series, and we're very comfortable with him going (Friday)," Cora noted. "I think the structure of the series and the structure of our bullpen tomorrow is going to be -- we're going to be aggressive regardless. I don't expect him to come out in the first inning. I expect him to go out there and pitch a good game and give us a chance to win. You got to trust everybody in this roster. We got 26 guys that they have to do a job for us to advance to the World Series, and he is one of them. And that's the reason he is pitching tomorrow, and then Nate will follow him."
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