Chris Sale knows there’s nothing he can do this fall to erase his subpar playoff performance from a season ago. Instead, the Boston Red Sox ace will try to make the 2018 postseason a memorable one for different reasons.
Sale will get the ball Friday night in Game 1 of the American League Division Series against the New York Yankees.
The start comes after Sale has had to wait a year to get back to the playoffs after getting roughed up by the Houston Astros last season, allowing nine runs in 9 2/3 innings in the ALDS.
“I’m not trying to erase anything; it happened, you know?” Sale said at a press conference Thursday that aired on NESN. “I’m not going to run away from it. I don’t think that’s the right thing to do. Obviously, I look back and realize the mistakes I made and try to learn from it. I’m not going to hide from it. It is what it is. You can Google it now, tomorrow, 100 years, it’s still going to be there.
“I own it. I accept it, and like I said, I’m going to be better. I’m going to do everything I can to be better. That’s all I can do. It’s not going to help me this year, it’s not going to help me next year, it’s definitely not going to help me (Friday). The work, the preparation and everything that’s gone into it is what’s going to get me through it.”
Sale’s numbers this season against the Yankees have been incredible. The left-hander has allowed one earned run in 13 innings, striking out 19 Bombers over two starts.
But that was when Sale was 100 percent healthy. Two disabled list stints, an iffy season finale and an extended time off later, questions about Sale’s ability to match that production are warranted.
Sale says he’s good to go, though.
“It’s still baseball,” he said. “I’ve prepared myself and have had a lot of help getting there. I’m not worried about this or that. I know I’ve got somewhere around 100 pitches to cover, and it’s going to be everything I’ve got in all those pitches.”
