How Chris Sale Convinced Alex Cora To Keep Him In -- Twice
BOSTON (CBS) -- Alex Cora wanted to take Chris Sale out after the fifth inning Tuesday night against the Rays, but Chris Sale convinced his skipper to let him stay in the game. Alex Cora wanted to take Chris Sale out during the sixth inning Tuesday night against the Rays, but Chris Sale convinced his skipper to let him stay in the game.
Both times the Red Sox manager listened to his ace, and both times Alex Cora was rewarded for his trust in Chris Sale.
Sale labored through his six innings of work against the Rays on Tuesday, but got the important outs when he needed to. He worked around a two-out double to end the fifth, and then called off Cora in the bottom of the sixth and got Guillermo Heredia to line out softly to end the frame.
Cora went out to chat after Sale in the sixth after the lefty had thrown his 114th pitch of the evening -- an 82 MPH slider that set down Michael Brosseau by way of the K. The manager was ready to pull Sale, until the pitcher told his skipper that he needed just three more pitches to finish his outing.
Why three pitches? Sale explained after Boston's 5-4 win.
"That's how many pitches are in a punchout. He owes me one," joked Sale. "I just told him I thought I could get it. I'm obviously thankful he let me stay in there."
He actually only needed two pitches to get Heredia out, finishing his evening with six innings of two-run ball off four hits, three walks and 10 strikeouts.
That sixth inning almost never happened for Sale, but Cora is happy that he listened to the ace of his staff.
"Actually, we were going to take him out in the fifth, and he said, 'I'm in a groove. I've got it.' Trust the player, trust him," said Cora. "He's healthy, which is the most important thing, and he was making pitches, so we kept him in."
This season has been a struggle for Sale, but he's regained his form -- and his swagger -- as of late. He's now won back-to-back starts for the first time this season, bringing his record to 5-9 on the year. Tuesday was the seventh time in his last 10 starts that he's struck out 10 or more batters.
"Yeah, obviously this has been a pretty big work in progress," Sale said of his 2019 season. "I got off on the wrong foot and had some good starts mixed in in the middle. That's what it's about. Anyone can go out there and do it once. You want to get on a roll. You want to feel like you're the guy where the team feels like they're going to win where you're stepping out there. I obviously have a job to do here. I know what my role is for this team. I wanted to get back to that."
Boston's bullpen held on to secure the win, and Boston improved to 56-46. It's the first time all season they've been 10 games above .500.