Chris Sale was traded to the Atlanta Braves this offseason, opening the door for a fresh start, which began Sunday afternoon.
Officially transitioning from the Boston Red Sox, with whom Sale spent the past six seasons, the 35-year-old showed flashes of his former All-Star self. Sale pitched 5 1/3 innings for Atlanta, surrendering two earned runs off five hits and two walks while striking out seven Philadelphia Phillies batters. And while much of the encouraging performance could be attributed to Sale, he’d much rather share the recognition with the rest of Atlanta’s locker room.
“As a whole, it was a good game. Like I said, it was a dogfight,” Sale told reporters after Atlanta’s 5-4 loss to Philadelphia, per Bally Sports. “Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and it just happened to be we were on the bottom side of it today. I like to see that fight throughout the game. What more can you ask for?”
Entering Sunday’s start, Sale pitched 14 2/3 innings in spring training while allowing five earned runs, logging a 3.02 ERA during the exhibition slate.
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Atlanta dealt infielder Vaughn Grissom, who didn’t have a cemented role with the team, to acquire Sale, who already has World Series experience. The Braves provide Sale with his latest chance at helping seize another title. The organization is just three seasons removed from its last Fall Classic win and has reached postseason contention in the last six consecutive years.
Sale’s new teammates are thrilled to have the seven-time All-Star along for the ride.
“That guy is going to be a Hall of Famer. I think we are very fortunate to have him,” Atlanta catcher Chadwick Tromp said of Sale, per Bally Sports.
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The biggest challenge ahead for Sale will be remaining healthy. In his last four seasons with Boston, Sale was limited to just 56 starts due to a handful of trips to the injured list.
Featured image via Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports Images
