Chris Sale Reveals Mindset Heading Into Red Sox Return Vs. Rays

Chris Sale misses being out on the mound and competing with the Red Sox, and the southpaw also misses cargo shorts.

The Boston ace was interviewed during Saturday’s Red Sox versus Yankees game at Fenway Park. Sale is scheduled to start against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday, and the left-hander revealed his mindset before making his season debut with Boston.

“I’m definitely excited to get back,” Sale said during the FOX broadcast. “Sitting on the sidelines watching is only so fun for so long — just getting back out there and competing again. Just missing it, that feeling of competition, that feeling of being out there, grinding with your guys, putting all on the line and competing and winning games, that’s why I enjoy doing this. It’s what I want to get back to doing.”

Sale’s last start was against the Houston Astros in the ALCS on Oct. 20, 2021. The 33-year-old suffered an injury to his rib cage ahead of spring training, and then suffered a personal, non-COVID medical issue in May, which shutdown his throwing temporarily. Sale spoke on his expectations for his start against the Rays.

“You obviously know what team they are,” Sale said. “Being in Florida, it’ll be nice to be in Tampa and have family around. I’m just excited for it. This was a long, long hold. Last year, I missed all the way up until August, missed a whole year before that. This year, obviously up until this point. I just missed it. I want to get back out there. I’m excited for it. I can’t really say anything more than that. I’m just ready to start playing baseball full time and just leave all that stuff in the rear view, just keep moving forward.”

A.J. Pierzynski, who is a former Chicago White Sox teammate of Sale’s and serves as color analyst for FOX, was joking around with Sale about his outburst in Worcester. Sale delivered a tongue-in-cheek line about trying to get a TV sponsorship, and their conversation also led to a reveal of Sale’s love of wearing cargo shorts — unfortunately for the southpaw, cargo shorts are not in style in 2022, though fanny packs are.

Luckily for the Red Sox, Sale will be trading in his cargo shorts for baseball pants as he takes the mound against the Rays as his return will be a much needed one with the many injuries to Boston’s pitching staff.