BALTIMORE — It would be a fitting setting, if Alex Cora has his way.
As Chris Sale took the mound for his final start of the season on Thursday in Baltimore, a season once again marred with injuries and disappointing results, Cora had an announcement: The goal is for Sale to start Opening Day 2024 in Seattle.
Advertisement
Just days before the 2019 season opener — also in Seattle — the Red Sox signed Sale to a five-year, $145 million extension. Sale has made a total of 31 starts over 151 innings, posting a 3.93 ERA since the extension kicked in at the start of 2020. Those numbers might have been good for one season, not four. Alas, there’s no changing the past. Next season is his final full year of the deal.
With so many starts and stops for Sale the last four seasons, there are no guarantees. But he’s hoping ending 2023 on a good note — a healthy note — will be a harbinger of things to come for 2024.
Sale allowed one run on three hits and a walk, striking out two over five innings on Thursday in a 2-0 loss to the Orioles as Baltimore clinched the American League East.
“I wanted to gain some momentum going into the offseason,” Sale said. “Obviously haven’t finished a few years here now. So being able to get through it and get to the offseason healthy and not have anything to rehab, have a normal offseason for the first time in a while is nice.”
"Being able to get through it and get to the offseason healthy and not have anything to rehab, have a normal offseason for the first time in a while is nice"
Chris Sale on ending the season healthy | pic.twitter.com/2EbUmbuK4q
— NESN (@NESN) September 29, 2023
It wasn’t Sale’s most dominant start, with his fastball velocity averaging 92.1 mph with a max of 94.3 mph, but ending on a good note was key.
For a veteran pitcher who dominated with velocity and a stealthy slider over the first half of his career, the last few years, and particularly this season, have been about learning to navigate what he has on a given day, and learning he can still be effective, even if he doesn’t have the 98 mph four-seamer consistently anymore.
“I think more so than anything, it’s just not doing too much,” Sale said. “I said it to (pitching coach Dave Bush) tonight when I got done, ‘If I’m out there with my best stuff, use it. If I’m out there with my worst stuff, use it.’ Not trying to do too much with whatever the day brings. If it’s 98, it’s 98. If it’s 91, it’s 91. Don’t try to do too much, stay within yourself and use the weapons you have that day. And over my last few starts, I was able to do that.”
Advertisement
Sale hasn’t finished a season fully healthy in years. In 2019, he ended up on the injured list in August. In 2020, he was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. In 2021, he had returned but lost steam by the time the postseason came around. He was injured again by the start of spring training. In 2022, the year ended with him breaking his wrist in a bicycle accident in August.
The 34-year-old has lofty goals for the winter that include focusing on lower body strength, shoulder strength and mobility. He thinks an added focus on long toss will further strengthen his shoulder and prevent injuries like this stress fracture this season.
“I got to get my shoulder stronger, that’s for sure,” he said. “Starts from the top. And just I think for me, it’s going to be long tossing. I just need reps. I need to throw more. I got a good group down there. Obviously everybody up here will be watching, so I’m excited for it. It’s the first time in a long time I’ve been able to be excited for an offseason and not going into it with something, so it’s a good start.”
After three rough starts to begin the year, Sale dazzled for eight starts from mid-April through the end of May and looked liked a vintage version of himself. He put up a 2.87 ERA and 2.70 FIP along with a 28.1 percent strikeout rate in that stretch before the stress fracture in his shoulder sidelined him for two months. When he returned Aug. 11, the Red Sox hoped he’d give the rotation a post-trade deadline boost. He instead just managed to get by with a 3.91 ERA over nine starts.
Sale sat down with Cora a few days ago to lay out a plan for the winter and that’s when Cora told him his goal for the veteran lefty.
“I had a great conversation with him a few days ago about how the season went and what we are looking forward to,” Cora said. “There’s a lot of stuff that he’s going to do earlier than usual. He wants to be built up to 95, 100 pitches before we go on the first road trip to Seattle next year.”
Chris Sale, Wicked 76mph Slider. 🤢 pic.twitter.com/W4VOpPDlJO
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 28, 2023
Cora opted to start Corey Kluber in the opener this season in an attempt to let Sale enjoy his first healthy Opening Day since 2019. But he’s already decided how he wants 2024 to begin.
“The goal is for him to pitch that first game in Seattle,” Cora said. “That’s the goal for Chris to have that start. I don’t know what the future holds. We know where he’s at contract-wise, but I think he is in the right frame of mind as far as the offseason, what he wants to do. There’s going to be a lot of guys down there, too, which is good for him. Not only guys from the big league roster, but young guys. It pushes him to be better and he pushes them to be great, too, because of the competition in the weight room, running poles and all that stuff.”
Advertisement
There’s a chance the next head of baseball operations chooses to trade Sale. There’s a chance another injury crops up this winter. But for now Sale will be on the mound for that first game, in what might be his final year with the team. Sale does have a 2025 vesting option, one that kicks in if he finishes top 10 in AL Cy Young voting in 2024 and avoids finishing the season on the injured list. That’s something else to aim for. But for now, one thing at a time.
“It means a lot, I appreciate that,” Sale said of Cora’s extra early decision. “It gives me something to look forward to other than just being healthy. Not only am I trying to be healthy, I’m trying to build on things. I’m not trying to get to zero by spring training. I’m trying to build something up. So, it definitely gives me something to chase this offseason, which is good.”
(Photo: Rob Carr / Getty Images)