Chris Sale wasn't good in the first game of the Red Sox's double-header Saturday. He knows that. His team lost 9-2 and he gave up eight earned runs in 3 2/3 innings.
But he was not happy with umpire Mike Estabrook who ejected both Sale and manager Alex Cora in a dismal fourth inning which saw a couple of pitches called balls that could have ended at-bats. Sale wants to see Estabrook held accountable for his performance, but he's not optimistic he will be.
“Nothing is going to happen to him, I’m sure. He’ll be out there (in Game 2) at third base, probably be at home plate again. I’m sure I’ll get fined. I’m sure ‘AC’ will get fined, all for things I think we were justified about,” Sale said, via the New York Post. “I don’t want to get too caught up in the politics of this, but there’s got to be something. ‘AC’ doesn’t do his job for long enough, he’s gone. If I don’t do my job for long enough, I’m gone. Goes for every other manager in the league, it goes for every other player in this clubhouse and in the league. Got to find something. Nothing really holding it down.”
Cora was ejected first in the fourth inning during a mound visit when Estabrook came out to break it up. It appeared Cora hit the umpire with some profanity when he met the scrum on the pitcher's mound and he was then ejected.
Sale later was removed from the game after 3 2/3 innings pitched and was ejected when he yelled at Estabrook on his way off the mound.
There were a few questionable calls in the game to be sure.
Domingo Germán, Painted 96mph Fastball (Well, Painted Outside the Lines). 🎨 pic.twitter.com/XPrxCTio05
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 3, 2019
"Terrible. Awful. Brutal." -Red Sox broadcast
— Umpire Auditor (@UmpireAuditor) August 4, 2019
Umpire Mike Estabrook called on a ball on what should've been strike 3 to Aaron Judge. Instead of ending the inning, Judge hit a double, ending Chris Sale's day. As Sale walked off the field, Estabrook ejected Sale.#Yankees v #RedSox https://t.co/FBnnlZ0C04 pic.twitter.com/aqKDmJb2om
Sale thought he had struck out Gio Urshela on a pitch in the fourth inning but instead it was called a ball and Urshela would eventually single. He thought he had a strike on Aaron Judge as well but that was again called a ball.
When all was said and done the Yankees scored seven runs in the fourth inning and Cora and Sale were ejected. Sale again admitted he needs to be better but spoke about how you can't give this New York lineup second chances.
“Give these guys extra outs it’s going to hurt. I felt like he changed the landscape of the game,” Sale said. “But there’s got to be something that can be done about this. We’re held accountable as players, as coaches. … There’s nothing we can do. I’m sure there’s nothing Major League Baseball is going to do.”