Chris Sale’s lanky frame — 6-foot-6, 180 pounds, if you believe his listed size — shouldn’t come as a surprise given his family tree.
“We’ve got tall, skinny guys all over the place,” Sale told reporters Tuesday at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla., after the Boston Red Sox’s first official workout for pitchers and catchers.
Sale was talking about his family, which, according to the new Red Sox ace, has featured a whole bunch of gangly gentlemen, including his grandfather, who apparently had an awesome nickname to boot.
“(Eduardo) Rodriguez just asked me, ‘How was the food?’ ” Sale told reporters, per WEEI.com. “I was like, ‘I’m not skinny because I don’t eat.’ I come from a long line of skinny people.
“My dad, when he got married, he was under a size-30 waist. My grandfather’s nickname was ‘Streamlined.’ He was a swimmer. Tall, skinny guys for days. My dad I think is 6-3, my grandfather was 6-4, both my grandfathers are 6-4, 6-5, all my uncles. I think my shortest uncle is like 6-2.”
Sale’s height makes him a physically imposing presence on the mound, even if his slender build is atypical of someone listed at 6-foot-6. But the left-hander’s scariest attribute for opponents — throwback jersey freakout, notwithstanding — is his dominant pitch repertoire.
The Red Sox’s rotation, filled with different shapes and sizes, sure has the look of a formidable unit.
Thumbnail photo via Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports Images
