Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale. (Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports)
Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale made it back on the mound after two years out injured. His postgame comments reveal just how much it meant to him.
Exactly one year and one day from his last major league pitching appearance, Chris Sale made his triumphant return for the Red Sox on Saturday.
The moment was huge for the pitcher after a long injury recovery. After five innings of work, he made that very clear to reporters.
“This game was ripped out of my hands. I had a hole in my chest for two years … I’m not wasting another damn day in my big league career,” Sale said per Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe.
“It was a long time. Two years. Almost on the dot. I don’t really do too well with waiting around and not pulling my end of the slack,” Sale said after crediting the people around him with the hard work and stress of getting him back.
As for what it felt like to hear the cheers from Red Sox fans at Fenway again?
“I don’t know if I felt one step out to the bullpen. It was amazing,” Sale said. “What can I say? These fans, they’ve had my back since the day I got here and I’m appreciative of that.”
Chris Sale was emotional about his return for the Red Sox
Sale got the win while pitching five innings and giving up two earned runs. He had eight strikeouts. Two home runs for the Orioles in the third inning were the only thing marring the outing.
Those bombs ultimately didn’t matter one bit. The Red Sox bats had Sale’s back too. They put up four runs in the first inning. By the time Sale left the mound, Boston had a 7-2 lead. More runs followed until they closed out the victory 16-2.