Sale will start Game 1 of World Series for Sox

Chris Sale is set to make his next scheduled start for the Boston Red Sox. And now, he knows that will be in the World Series.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Thursday that Sale threw on flat ground again earlier in the day and was feeling better since a stomach illness led to him spending a night in the hospital.

Boston’s 4-1 victory over the Houston Astros put the Red Sox in the World Series for the first time since 2013. Sale is expected to start the opener Tuesday night at Fenway Park against the Los Angeles Dodgers or Milwaukee Brewers.

Sale was initially slated to pitch Game 5 of the ALCS on Thursday, but was ruled out because the illness left him weak. If the Red Sox had lost, Sale would have been lined up to start a Game 6 back home today.

Instead, his teammates closed out the series, and the lefty ace gets more time to rest and recover.

Bradley comes up clutch

Jackie Bradley Jr. had only three hits in the AL Championship Series. He certainly made them count.

Batting at the bottom of the order, Bradley homered twice and drove in nine runs to win MVP honors.

Bradley connected for the go-ahead hits in two Boston wins and a game-sealing grand slam in another.

“It’s amazing,” Bradley said. “This is what we set out to do when we come to spring training. And we battled we’ve been battle-tested, played against a lot of great ballteams. This is definitely a special moment.”