Sale gets warm reception in return to Chicago
Chris Sale smiled as he talked about his time in Chicago. The White Sox praised Sale’s work ethic and attitude, and Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell called him a true competitor and great teammate.
There was lots of love for Sale on Monday, from every corner of his longtime home.
The left-hander received a warm welcome in his return to Chicago following his trade to Boston last winter. The White Sox saluted Sale with a highlight video during the first inning of their game against the Red Sox, and the pitcher waved his hat to the cheering crowd, pointed to the home dugout and patted his heart.
“I had a lot of good times here – a lot of friends still over there,” said Sale, who pitches against his former team for the first time tonight. “I stopped in on my way in to say hey to a few guys. I don’t want to bother anybody over there, but I still want to go see them, say hey to them, tell them I miss them, stuff like that. This is where I spent the first six, seven years of my career, so a lot of good memories. It was fun walking back in here and thinking about some of those.”
The 28-year-old Sale developed into one of the game’s most dominant pitchers during his time with the White Sox, making the All-Star team in each of the last five years. It has been more of the same so far with the Red Sox, with Sale striking out at least 10 in eight of his first 10 starts with his new team.
“He’s about one thing, and that’s about winning,” Farrell said. “So we’re grateful he’s in our uniform.”
Sale is 4-0 with a 3.57 ERA in five May starts, helping Boston keep up with the New York Yankees in the challenging AL East. Not only does he get his former team in his next start, but he also runs up against fellow lefty and good friend Jose Quintana in what is sure to be a somewhat awkward reunion for everyone involved.
“Throwing on the same day will be a different feeling for me because he was the best teammate I ever played with,” Quintana said. “It will be a different feeling watching him go against me after the last four years when he was my teammate.”