Now, that’s a serious control issue right there…it appears that this MLB pitcher has a new enemy: Polar Park.
Chris Sale hasn’t thrown a pitch for the Red Sox yet this season, but he sure is taking his rehab seriously as he approaches his MLB return. The hurler had an aggressive meltdown following a rehab start with the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox on Wednesday night.
A reporter from NBC10 in Boston captured the ugly scene after Sale gave up a bases-loaded walk on Wednesday night. Sale tore pictures off the wall and generally created havoc.
Here’s what Sale later told The Boston Globe in recounting his performance:
“Pfffff. Not good, I was just out there fishing today. … Nothing to hang your hat on, that’s for sure.”
It appears that Chris Sale was not happy with his rehab start performance tonight
(h/t @AlyshaNBCBoston) pic.twitter.com/3xbfg4vxVR
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) July 7, 2022
33-year-old Sale has pitched just 42 ⅔ innings with the Red Sox since signing a five-year, $145 million contract extension in March 2019. He missed the end of the 2019 season with elbow inflammation and underwent Tommy John surgery at the dawn of the 2020 campaign, before sustaining a right rib stress fracture while throwing batting practice in February.
The left-hander has made four minor league rehab starts and, despite his dugout antics Wednesday night, insists that a return to the big leagues is imminent.
The Daily Wire noted:
Despite Wednesday’s struggles, Sale appears poised to get the call from Boston. In his four rehab starts, Sale has logged 11.1 innings with 19 strikeouts and a 2.38 earned run average. The Red Sox, who are currently tied for second place behind the arch-rival New York Yankees in the American League East, could use a healthy ace on the mound when the second half of the season resumes following the July 19 All-Star game.
If the organization decides Sale should pay for the damage he did to the Worcester clubhouse, it should not be a problem. He is earning $30 million this year and is under contract for the next three years. In 2019, Sale agreed to a contract extension “in $150 million range,” reported ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Sources: DailyWire, TheBostonGlobe