Sale finishes strong -- and best of all, healthy

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Red Sox lefty Chris Sale came to Spring Training healthy, and that was big.

However, something much bigger happened on Sunday. Sale made his final Grapefruit League start against the Twins and will leave camp as healthy as he arrived.

Next up for Sale? Game 2 of the regular season at Fenway Park on Saturday against the Orioles.

For a seven-time American League All-Star who hasn’t been on the Opening Day roster since 2019, this is no small thing.

How much is Sale looking forward to it?

“More than you know,” said Sale. “It’s going to be a big day for a lot of people. So I’m really excited for that, and just appreciative of it. Very appreciative of it.”

The start-by-start buildup of Spring Training is something that Sale missed as he was constantly stuck in the trainer’s room rehabbing one injury or another.

“I really wanted to focus on obviously getting all the way through and just sharpening my tools, getting better, getting my mechanics sound,” said Sale. “You guys know it’s been a while since I’ve been out there competitively. So not only being able to get my mechanics down but having some good outings and making some good pitches when I needed to, it gives me confidence going into the season.”

For a final tuneup, Sale scattered five hits and allowed two runs over five innings in Boston’s 7-2 loss to Minnesota. He walked two and struck out three.

The relevance of those numbers paled in comparison to the one number that mattered the most: zero work days missed this spring due to health issues.

The fact that Sale will joke about some of the fluky mishaps he had last season is indicative enough of how good he feels these days.

“It seems like he’s enjoying the moment,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “He’s taking it day by day. He’ll joke with it like he’s a bike ride away from going on the IL. That’s the way it works here. But he’ll be OK. We’re looking forward to Saturday, just go out there and just compete. An afternoon game at Fenway, hopefully the weather cooperates and it’s a good afternoon and we can enjoy it.”

The first thing Sale will enjoy is Opening Day on Thursday, which happens to be his 34th birthday. Cora could have pitched Sale, and nobody would have questioned the move. But the manager wanted his ace to enjoy the day and soak in all the festivities.

The Red Sox don’t play on Friday. And in Game 2, Fenway Park will have its first Sale Day since 2021. Sale made only two starts last season, and both were on the road.

“He’s always been a great teammate, but there were certain days he was cranky,” said Cora. “We don’t have those days anymore. Like I said, he should enjoy Thursday, re-set Friday and go after it on Saturday. I think that’s the best way we can do it.”

If the way Sale threw the ball in Spring Training is any indication, he could wind up in the running for the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award.

“It’s been a long time, and I'm happy to have this opportunity to start the season healthy and give my team a chance to win,” said Sale. “It’s something I haven’t been able to do for a few years. It’s what I’ve been wanting to do. It’s been eating at me. I have it now and I want to roll with it.”