Before Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale threw his first pitch of the season on a big-league mound Tuesday night against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field, he had to re-trace his steps.
It was a necessary move for Sale because without doing so, he wouldn't have known what pitch to throw.
Sale had dropped his PitchCom device out of his hat on his way to the mound, which led to the 33-year-old left-hander having to go back to retrieve it. Sale turned the situation into a humorous event by joking about what happened after the game.
"Oh man, first-timer," Sale said, as seen on NESN's postgame coverage. "Rookie move. I get out there and (catcher Christian Vázquez) is like pushing the buttons and I didn't have it in my hat. It fell out of my hat before I went out there. So, nice little circus act before we get going."
The quick detour didn't seem to get Sale off track. He tossed five scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and one walk while striking out five in a no-decision effort.
As for his next start, which looks like it will come over the weekend against the New York Yankees, Sale will probably make sure the PitchCom device is tightly secured in his hat before taking the mound.
"I think it's great," Sale said of the technology. "I love it. It's only going to get better."
