Chris Sale throws tantrum in dugout tunnel after walking final batter of rehab outing in Worcester
BOSTON -- When speaking with reporters after his rehab start in Triple-A Worcester Wednesday night, Chris Sale managed to put a positive spin on his shaky outing.
Prior to that, though, the veteran left-hander wasn't quite as composed.
Sale's fourth (and potentially final) rehab outing ended poorly, with the lefty issuing a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the fourth inning. That walk was the fifth free pass of the night allowed by Sale, and it prompted manager Chad Tracey to come get the ball from his starter.
And it led to an immediate outburst from Sale in the dugout tunnel.
In a video captured by a fan with a perfect view, Sale grabbed a bat and violently swung it at something attached to a wall. He then wrestled with what appeared to be a TV hung on the wall before ending his tantrum with a couple of full-on kicks of that frame-like structure mounted to the wall.
The fan who took the video, season ticket holder Brian O'Neil, told WBZ-TV he started recording the video as Sale came out of the game. He didn't expect the tantrum.
"He never looked up at me, he just walked out like nothing happened. It was pretty bizarre," O'Neil said Thursday. "I'd rather see that than to see a professional athlete just phone it in and just get their paycheck."
Having gotten out his frustrations, Sale walked away and met with the media shortly thereafter.
"It's almost better that this happened, in some weird way, because now I know what I have to work on," Sale said of his outing. "I know what my miscues are. I know, hey, if I'm not feeling right, or hey, if the ball's coming out hot and I've walked five frickin' guys, it's mechanics. It's directions. It's staying back. You know, those things. If I was coming out here throwing not sharp, velo down, then we'd have some more questions. But like I said, the stuff was there, I just had to corral it, and couldn't."
Despite the five walks, Sale also had five strikeouts, and he allowed just one run over his 3.2 innings. He said he still hopes that his next start will be with the big league club next week, when the Red Sox play the Rays in Tampa.