Alex Cora didn't believe Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale when he told reporters he was hopping on a bus to Scranton with Triple-A Worcester following an outing with the WooSox.
The manager insinuated that their $145 million ace was all talk, and probably was being flown private by the club for what likely will be his final rehab start on Saturday.
“TWA," Cora joked with reporters discussing Sale's plan. "Tom Werner Airlines, maybe."
As it turns out, though, Sale did take the bus. And unlike his manager, Hall of Famer and NESN Red Sox broadcaster Dennis Eckersley didn't seem surprised.
"How about that? That says everything about him," Eckersley said during Wednesday's NESN broadcast. "Totally. You could pay for dinner for the kids and all that, that's easy. Just whip out, you know, put your credit card down. But to get on a bus, that's doing the whole thing."
Sale is the ultimate competitor, but this certainly takes things to a level he hasn't reached since that time he took a pair of scissors to the White Sox's throwback jerseys during his time with Chicago.
The left-hander suggested he'd take the minor leaguers out to dinner, too. But the four-hour bus ride picking his brain is worth much, much more.