*Photo from the Boston Globe*
Two years and one day. That was how long it had been since Chris Sale had taken the mound in a major league game. Two years and a Tommy John surgery later, the Boston Red Sox have their ace back, and they welcomed him back with an offensive firepower show. Bobby Dalbec homered twice, Rafael Devers homered, and the Red Sox routed the Orioles 16-2 on Saturday afternoon.
Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo said of the atmosphere in Sale's return that "It really felt like a playoff game. Everybody saw Chris Sale, and you had all the energy, man, everybody screaming, yelling. Not only that, but just the way you kind of see Chris Sale go about it. When he’s ready to pitch, there’s a little bit of that crazy guy in there, but also, he’s a bulldog. He’s just ready to go. As a position player, playing behind him and with him, it fires you up."
Now, normally, Tommy John surgery doesn't keep you out for two years, it's normally a year and a half. But, Sale was originally shut down at this time in 2019, and, over the offseason, took the rest and rehabilitation route to try and get ready for the 2020 season. Before spring training got cut off in March, Sale had reported an issue with his arm while playing catch. It was at that point he decided to undergo Tommy John, which extended his absence until now. If he had taken the surgery back in 2019, he might have been ready for opening day this year.
Regardless, he's back, and he put on a show for the fans who packed Fenway, the 9th largest crowd of the season for the Red Sox. Sale allowed two runs on 6 hits, walking no one and racking up 8 strikeouts in 5 innings pitched, throwing 89 pitches in his first game back. His only blemish was giving up back to back homers to Austin Hays and Trey Mancini in the 4th inning.
Sale gave all the credit to his teammates, saying "That was everything to me. These guys, they’ve had my back since the jump. My teammates give me life. This thing was taken from me for two straight years, and I realized how much I needed this game and how much I needed my teammates and how they made me feel complete. I had a hole in my chest for the last two years, and it sucked. For those guys to be there, it was a special moment."
The Boston offense quickly hung 4 runs on the Orioles in the first inning, with Kike Hernandez scoring on a wild pitch, and Devers mashing a 3 run homer to right field. In the second, it became 6-0 on an RBI single from Verdugo, and an RBI double from Xander Bogaerts. After Baltimore cut it to 6-2, an RBI single by Devers in the 4th made it 7-2.
Then came the 5th inning. First, it was an RBI triple by Jarren Duran to make it 8-2 Boston. Then, Dalbec clobbered a two run homer and it was quickly 10-2. Bogaerts then hit an RBI single, and then came Martinez, the 9th batter of the inning, who launched a 3 run homer, and it was 14-2 after 5 innings. In the 6th, Dalbec hit a solo homer out of Fenway entirely, and Hunter Renfroe hit a solo homer in the 8th, and it was a 16-2 game.
It was Jorge Lopez who got the loss for Baltimore, giving up 7 runs on 9 hits and two walks, striking out just one hitter in 3 1/3 innings. After that it was a bullpen parade. Paul Fry, Adam Plutko, who also gave up 7 runs, Cesar Valdez, and Dillon Tate pitched, while catcher Austin Wynns came in to pitch the 8th inning.
Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said "I think we’ve had some games get away from us, last night and tonight where we go down early. Getting down early quite a bit is hard. And you know, we need to get a good start to get things rolling. And I’m not complaining about the lack of effort. I think the execution isn’t really good on the mound right now with some guys, and I think that our at-bats can get a little bit out of control."
The Red Sox and Orioles wrap up their series on Sunday, with the Red Sox sending lefty Eduardo Rodriguez to the mound as they look for a sweep. Lefty Keegan Akin will start for the Orioles as they try to avoid the sweep.
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