Chris Sale Reflects On First Start Back With Red Sox Vs. Rays

Chris Sale had a great performance in Tuesday’s start against the Tampa Bay Rays, despite the outcome not going in Boston’s favor.

He seemed to be back to his old self, although the 3-2 loss was not the desired result for the Red Sox. The 33-year-old went five scoreless innings, giving up just three hits. He struck out five batters and only walked one.

Sale reflected on the night and being back from injury, along with his rehab starts down in Triple-A Worcester following the game.

“It’s everything to me. It means a lot,” Sale told reporters on being back with the Red Sox, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage.

“I feel stronger now than I did at anytime last year. Much better physical spot, mental spot. Just gotta get my reps in, gotta keep going out there.

“I got a lot of work in this past week… I knew what I had to do. I knew what I had to fix. And now it’s just maintaining that, staying within myself, staying within my mechanics and trying to do my thing.”

Not only are Red Sox fans excited to see Sale back in the mix, but his teammates are as well. Manager Alex Cora hinted Sale could be ready to start again against the New York Yankees on Sunday.