Saturday was a special day to be at Fenway Park.
For the first time in 732 days, the ace returned to his rightful spot on the mound, making his season debut for the Boston Red Sox on Saturday against the Baltimore Orioles. It was a Sale Day to remember as he was sharp in his first start since Tommy John surgery.
Sale went a full five innings, recording eight strikeouts. He surrendered six hits, gave up back-to-back home runs for only the second time in his career, but those were the only runs he gave up in a game with plenty of insurance from the offense. He threw 60 of his 89 pitches for strikes, topping out at 96.
But even before he picked up right where he left off, the anticipation and excitement was palpable from fans watching live and from afar. And the outing started exactly how it ended: with a standing ovation.
So you can pretend you were there, here are the sights and sounds from Sale’s first game back.
After arriving in style, Sale received a standing ovation from fans as he took the hill.
Naturally, he didn’t look too rusty, getting the first batter he faced to swing at his first pitch, then fanning the second batter he faced.
The Red Sox ultimately won 16-2.
