Chris Sale spent seven seasons with the Boston Red Sox, making two All-Star games and helping his team win the 2018 World Series.
However, things were far from perfect for Sale during his tenure in Boston. A number of injuries kept him from starting more than 10 starts in three of his last four seasons (he made 20 starts in 2023 due to a shoulder injury).
His inability to stay on the field led to the Red Sox trading him to the Atlanta Braves this offseason for infielder Vaughn Grissom, who made his debut for Boston this past week.
Now, for the first time since being traded, Sale is set to face his former team on Wednesday, and Red Sox manager Alex Cora had some choice words for the fans who have laughed over Sale's injuries.
“The guy is special,” Cora said (via. MassLive). “I know people make jokes about him, the injuries and the bike and all that stuff, which I think is (expletive) bull-(expletive) because this guy did everything possible to be on the field.”
Cora clearly still feels connected to the lefty, who has posted a 3.44 ERA in his six starts this year. It was evident that Sale wanted to be out there helping his teammates, and it ate him up that he was unable to do that for so long.
Hopefully, one day, Sale will return to Fenway, and he will get to hear some cheers from Red Sox fans who appreciate what he did for years, and Cora agrees.
“I can’t wait for him to get back to Fenway and get the ovation he deserves," Cora said. "Because out of all the guys here that have been part of this since 2018, all the way until now, he went through the ups and downs and he took his punches. But like I’ve said, nobody can take away that ring from ‘18.”
