Red Sox’ Chris Sale ‘Embarrassed’ By 2023 Debut vs. Orioles

The left-hander had a rough outing in his first start of the season.

Chris Sale was on the mound for the Red Sox on Saturday against the Orioles, making his first April start since 2019.

Unfortunately for the southpaw, he didn’t have his best stuff, as he got blasted by the Baltimore batters to the tune of seven earned runs across three innings of work. Sale surrendered three home runs, and despite striking out six, was out of the game before the fourth inning.

After the rough outing, Sale didn’t mince words when discussing his own performance. The 34-year-old said Saturday’s game against the Orioles was "about as embarrassed” as he’s ever felt in his baseball career.

“I left them completely out to dry tonight,” Sale said of his teammates after the game, via NESN. “That's about as embarrassed as I’ve ever been on a baseball field.” 

"I left them completely out to dry tonight. That's about as embarrassed as I've ever been on a baseball field."

Chris Sale evaluates his performance and praises his teammates after his first outing of the seasons. #RedSox | https://t.co/jyk3EsbxuY pic.twitter.com/UT4Vt8oZs7

— NESN (@NESN) April 2, 2023

Sale threw a total of 74 pitches during Saturday’s outing. He was replaced Zack Kelly before the top of the fourth inning.

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Despite the difficult outing, Sale did not record a loss due to some late heroics from the Red Sox, who overcame their early deficit in order to win 9–8. Their fighting spirit didn’t go unnoticed by the 34-year-old, who was highly complimentary of the bullpen and Boston’s offense.