LISTEN: ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney Discusses What Clicked For Red Sox' Chris Sale
Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale showed glimpses of his old self on Tuesday night, striking out 11 batters against the Minnesota Twins.
It was a major turning point for the lefty, who went into that matchup with an ERA of more than 11 and has spent most of the last three years hurt.
Entering this season, Sale had only thrown just over 48 innings since the 2019 season and there remain questions about his health and durability moving forward.
The Red Sox would go on to win that game in extra innings thanks to an Alex Verdugo walk-off double, and then Verdugo provided a colorful postgame interview with NESN.
As for Sale, ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney discussed on the 'Brady Farkas Show' on WDEV Radio what clicked for him.
"Part of the reason that he did what he did was because of the substantive changes that he made... he basically ditched his sinker in that last start, he well all four-seamers, changeups and sliders and he was a different pitcher."
You can see the full comments below:
If Sale can look like some version of this consistently, it's a huge upgrade for the Red Sox and a huge bounceback for Sale, who was one of the best pitchers in the game for several years.
He's 115-76 for his career with a 3.08 ERA. He's a seven-time all-star who has six different Top-5 Cy Young finishes.
The Red Sox open up a weekend series with the Milwaukee Brewers tonight. First pitch is at 8:10 p.m. ET.
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