Everyone wondered how Chris Sale would fare Friday night in his Game 1 start against the New York Yankees.
Would his velocity return? Is his shoulder healthy? Did the mechanical issue get fixed?
The Boston Red Sox ace put those questions to bed quickly, striking out Andrew McCutchen and Aaron Judge to open American League Division Series matchup, while registering 96 on the radar gun.
Sale cruised through the first five innings at Fenway Park before exiting with one out in the sixth. The left-hander finished his first postseason start at Fenway Park having allowed two runs on five hits while striking out eight in 5 1/3 innings.
The Red Sox held on to win 5-4 to take a 1-0 series lead, thanks to Sale and an emergency bullpen appearance from Rick Porcello.
Sale was locked in Friday night at Fenway Park thanks to a pregame message from manager Alex Cora.
“You know, (Alex Cora) said something to me the other night that really stuck and that was, ‘Win the first pitch and then win every pitch after that,'” Sale said. “And I threw every pitch tonight like he was going to take the ball out of my hand after the pitch I threw. Like I said, you just have to go out there and do what you gotta do to get the win.”
The Red Sox did just that. Only 10 more to go.
