Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale hasn't played yet this season due to a right rib stress fracture suffered in the offseason, but he's getting close. When he does get back on the mound for Boston, Sale will hope for a better night than he had Wednesday in the minors.
Sale, 33, walked four batters in the first three innings of his start with Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday, but escaped all three frames without allowing a run. In the fourth inning, Sale allowed three singles to load the bases and then walked in a game-tying run before he was relieved after 3.2 innings.
A fan then caught Sale on video walking into the clubhouse and tearing it apart.
Chris Sale clearly not happy with the way he pitched Wednesday Night. video courtesy @bri4homes #wcvb pic.twitter.com/a7rpngC9Be
— Duke Castiglione (@DukeCastiglione) July 7, 2022
Despite the explosive reaction immediately after coming off the mound, Sale later told reporters that he wasn't too bothered by the performance.
"A blip on the radar," Sale said, via MLB.com. "I know this is a big deal. I know people are going to look very deep into this and dissect this 100 ways to midnight. For me, if my stuff's there and I have just an outlier, that's kind of what this was.
"I know today was a little bit of a hiccup, but there's nothing that can't be ironed out."
Sale is a seven-time All-Star who was acquired by Boston in a December 2016 trade with the Chicago White Sox. He missed the entire 2020 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and made only nine starts in 2021.
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