If there is one game in the immediate future that Boston Red Sox fans are waiting for, it’s next Wednesday when the Atlanta Braves come into town for the second game. Besides the fact Atlanta being one of the best teams in baseball, Chris Sale is the expected starter that day as he will make his return to Boston as Red Sox manager Alex Cora was asked about the reunion, resulting in a NSFW response.
In no way is there bad blood between Sale, Cora, and the Red Sox organization as the skipper had nothing but praise for the pitcher. However, he would address the criticisms Sale faced while in Boston as even though he was highly productive for the team, he had a lot of injury spells which Cora had a strong stance on according to MassLive.com.
“The guy is special,” Cora said. “I know people make jokes about him, the injuries and the bike and all that stuff, which I think is f****** bulls*** because this guy did everything possible to be on the field.”
“I’m following. I knew a while ago he’s pitching that day,” Cora continued. “It’s going to be great. We still have a job to do. Awkward? Of course. I wish he was still with us and helping these kids to become big league players and keep getting better. But understanding how it goes — we have a good one (Grissom) and they have a good one. Very proud of him.”
Cora talks the meeting with Sale that set up World Series win for Boston
Cora and Sale have had success together as they were a huge part of the 2018 Red Sox team that ended up winning the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games. The 48-year old manager talked about the meeting right after he was hired where he “flew to Fort Myers to meet with Sale, David Price, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Sandy Leon in November 2017 after the Red Sox hired him as manager.”
“And it (that meeting) sets everything up for that season,” Cora said as he mentioned that meeting being the catalyst to winning the World Series. “The guy [Sale] is relentless, he got the ball in Tampa (Opening Day 2018) my first game as a manager. So he got the first out of that season and he got the last one. We asked a lot from him not only on the field but in the clubhouse. And he was great off the field. … He was there for me when I was down there. He was.”
Cora talks the excitement of Sale returning to Fenway Park
Sale being in his 14th season in the MLB and first with the Braves has been a success so far as he has a 4-1 record with a 3.44 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 42 strikeouts and seven walks in six starts. Cora expressed his excitement of Sale returning to Boston, where he spent six seasons, and even mentioned how well he was with the media.
“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.”
“He was very accountable with you guys,” Cora continued. “Transparent and genuine. Sometimes too harsh on himself. I would tell him, too, like, ‘You don’t have to be this way.’ But that’s who he is. Very proud of him. Happy that he’s in a great organization. Obviously we got a good player and the trade was made for a reason. We had a pretty good feeling he was going to be healthy and he was going to pitch well. I was surprised he got the extension because the conversations were about something else during the summer and during the offseason.”
Sale still in touch with the Red Sox
The Florida-native was eventually traded in December of 2023 along with cash considerations from the Red Sox to the Braves in exchange for Vaughn Grissom. Cora would say that he’s “proud of” Sale and that he even keeps in touch with the organization and tries to help out as much as he can, talking about the work ethic he had.
“I’m very proud of him,” Cora said via MassLive.com. “He’s been in touch. He’s been helping our guys, too. He talks to Kutter (Crawford) and to Tanner (Houck). He’s in tune like everybody else. And that’s the thing I take more pride of in my job — like these guys are still part of the organization even from afar. They watch and they know what’s going on. And that’s pretty cool.”
“I know how much work he had to put (in) to be out there every five days,” Cora continued. “Last year, he made a point to show people what it takes to be a big leaguer. We had that outing in Kansas City. He was throwing like 85, 86 if I’m not mistaken. And he went 5 (innings). That was the game I went out with two outs and bases loaded or whatever — he walked two guys — and he was like, ‘One more hitter?’ And I say, ‘Well, throw (expletive) strikes.’ And it was 94, 95, 96. And he was like, ‘You should have come out earlier.’ But he cares about the players. He cared about the program. He still does.”
The Red Sox are currently 19-16 on the season which puts them third in the AL East behind the Baltimore Orioles and the New York Yankees. They start a two-game series against the Braves Tuesday where the contest against Sale will be the second game Wednesday.
