Watch Chris Sale Tear Through Braves Lineup In Lights-Out Spring Debut

At last, the nastiest slider in Major League Baseball is back.

It’s only been a few months, but Boston Red Sox fans certainly have been longing to watch Chris Sale toe the rubber again. And the Sox’s ace made his much-anticipated spring training debut against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday in Ft. Myers, Fla.

The results? About as good as Red Sox fans could have hoped for, especially considering it was the southpaw’s first live game of the season.

Sale fanned seven batters over four innings while allowing just two hits.

You can watch all seven strikeouts here:

While some might be hoping for more velocity from the ace, he’s shown in the past that he can be effective enough to get by without throwing 98 mph right out of the gate.