BOSTON Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale He threw 32 pitches in a game simulation at Fenway Park, Thursday.
Sale, 33 years old, faced three of his batters twice with teammates from different parts of the ballpark. After each outing, Sale sat in the dugout.
“Good, 94, 95 (mph). Alex Cora, Red Sox manager said, “Good changeup,” after Sale was completed.
Sale, who has been sidelined since spring training due to a fractured rib cage, could provide a tremendous boost to a Boston rotation that is also missing a right-hander. Nathan Eovaldi A back injury.
Sale’s health remains a concern.
Sale signed a five-year $145 million contract through 2024. He is 114-74 and has a 3.03 ERA. There have been 2,059 strikeouts in 321 major league games. The seven-time All-Star has only thrown 42 innings for the Red Sox in the last three years.
In his first season back from Tommy John surgery, he was 5-1 and had a 3.16 ERA in nine games. He relied heavily on his slider and fastball to get him there.
Cora was thrilled to see Sale’s changes.
“He was a pitcher for two pitches for a month. This is a game that will be played, and it’s so far away from surgery. Cora stated that it was a good decision. “I don’t know what’s next. We’ll sit down today to map it.”
Boston’s reliefrs watched Sale throw, sat in shallow middle field and sat in the grass. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts With a few of his teammates, he brought it in from the dugout and was a star third baseman Rafael Devers You can watch the event from lower boxes while you chat with your friends.
The media were lined up behind the plate, in the first row and along the first-baseline.
“We just have to be patient. Cora laughed and said that everyone is excited.
Sale walked off to the dugout and shook hands with a few teammates before going back to the clubhouse. He did not speak to the media.