Chris Sale has returned to the Red Sox after two years, and he quickly returned to his old self in his first two starts. But the ace opened up about his rehab from Tommy John surgery and revealed it took a toll on him mentally.
Speaking to WEEI’s Glenn Ordway and Lou Merloni in an appearance on the WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio Telethon, Sale shared more about the emotional impact of being away from his teammates and the game of baseball:
“I had some days where I had a lot of questions, more questions than answers. That made it tough. But having those days are good in the long run if everything works out right,” Sale said. “I had to grind through some stuff, I had to go through some things that I’ve never gone through. I had to deal with struggles I never knew existed. I was traveling down a road I’ve never been through.
“I’ve missed some time, I think I’ve missed a month here and there but for the most part I’ve been able to go out and do my job. Not being able to do that was crushing.”
Sale said there were some positives that came out of the experience, however:
“I do think it made me stronger on the back end. It made me just appreciate everything more — my kids, my family, the time I had with them, the time I’m not going to have with them,” he said. “Being away from my teammates and what that felt like, being around my teammates again and what that brought to the table, and just being a baseball player again. It can always be worse.”
The 32-year-old has a miniscule 1.80 ERA with 13 strikeouts through 10 innings, and he looks just like the Sale of old. But by the sounds of it, he’s come out of his injury with a new outlook on matters both on and off the field.
