Boston Red Sox’s lanky, 6ft 6in left-handed pitcher, Chris Sale is set to miss Major League Baseball’s 2020 season-opener on March 26.
On this day the Red Sox are due to play the Toronto Blue Jays in the match that officially opens the season. But unfortunately for Sale, Red Sox are not happy he’ll be fully fit by then. He’s been placed on an injury list that will prevent him playing.
Sale – a seven-time All-Star and World Series winner – is reported to still be building up his fitness after suffering from a serious flu and pneumonia attack prior to the Red Sox spring training camp.”
Earlier this week news broke that New York Yankees pitcher, Luis Severino, 26, was going to miss most of the upcoming season due to surgery on the elbow of his pitching arm.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman announced that Severino been diagnosed with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament and would need ‘Tommy John’ surgery.
Sale hurt his elbow last season
Sale also hurt his elbow last season, but manager Ron Roenicke who stepped in for Alex Cora after the sign-stealing scandal, was quick to say, “It’s got nothing at all (to do) with the arm.”
“He’s doing really good. We’re really happy with where he’s at. This (lay-off) is strictly for missing two weeks and then only being able to only get in four starts in Spring Training.”
Roenicke added: “With the sickness, it cost him two weeks’ of (preparation) time and that two weeks is what we’d like to give him to make sure he’s right again.
“He’s worked hard on getting his arm right. But we didn’t think four starts in Spring Training were fair to him ahead of him starting the season.”
Sale, because of his elbow injury, made only 25 appearances in 2019 totalling 218 strikeouts and six wins.
Sale has picked up 2,007 career strikeouts
The 30-year-old has picked up 2,007 strikeouts in his 312 career games since making his pro debut with the Chicago White Sox in 2010. He’s been playing for the Red Sox since mid 2017.
During his career he has pitched two immaculate innings, the first one on May 8, 2019, and the second a month later on June 5. An immaculate innings is when the pitcher gets three consecutive strikeouts with just nine pitchers
Sale himself was initially unhappy with the club decision to keep him sideline on day one of the new season.
He said, “I mean, my target date was March 26. Especially given what happened last year and going through this off-season, that was my goal. I wanted to be there. I’ve let other people do my job and pick up my slack for long enough.”
“It was a gut punch when we were in that meeting,” Sale admitted. “I said the only thing this hurts right now is my ego, and that doesn’t matter. How can you argue with them. They’re just trying to take care of me and do what’s best. This is not only for myself, but for the organisation and the team moving forward.
“They had great points and I didn’t. I respect that. Like I said, I respect everybody in that room. The decision was made and we move forward.”