Tuesday wasn’t just an ordinary start for Chris Sale.
The left-hander, who played seven seasons with the White Sox, made his first return to Chicago since joining the Boston Red Sox.
Sale wasn’t very sharp against his former club, as he allowed six runs (five earned) on 10 hits over a laborious five innings of work. The Boston bats would bail out Sale’s mediocre performance, though, as the visiting club belted six home runs en route to a 13-7 win at Guaranteed Rate Field.
The lefty is one of the fiercest competitors the game has to offer and was by no means pleased with his performance Tuesday night. But Sale was more than appreciative of the offensive outburst, which kept his spirits high after the game.
“Clearly didn’t have it tonight,” Sale said, as seen on NESN’s Red Sox postgame coverage. “Kind of all over the place, didn’t throw a whole lot of strikes. But when the boys come up big behind you, that’s nice. I don’t know how many times I’ve been happy after giving up six runs.”
Although Sale has pitched on the Chicago mound countless times, he admitted there was a bit of different feel when he trotted out to take the hill Tuesday night.
“Different, but the same,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s a game. You have to go out there and pitch well, but tonight I didn’t do that.”
And before he even threw a pitch, Sale was greeted with a friendly ovation from the White Sox faithful. After a number of years in the organization, Sale was touched by the gesture.
“It’s special,” Sale said. “This is where I called home for a long time. I appreciated it. I gave everything I had during my time here and to get recognized for that was nice.”
Here are some other notes from Red Sox vs. White Sox.
— Deven Marrero parked two of Boston’s six home runs. It was the infielder’s first multi-homer performance at the professional level since being drafted in 2012.
— Despite the lopsided final score, Craig Kimbrel picked up his 14th save of the season. The right-hander entered the game in the eighth inning and picked up a four-out save.
— Tuesday’s game also was a bit of a homecoming for Sam Travis, who was born and raised in the Chicago area. The 23-year-old made his start count, going 3-for-4 with two doubles.
— Mookie Betts’ solo shot in the second inning marked his second longball in as many games against the White Sox this series.
— With Dustin Pedroia being placed on the 10-day disabled list, the Red Sox activated Pablo Sandoval to the 25-man roster.
Thumbnail photo via Patrick Gorski/USA TODAY Sports Images
