Chris Sale Not Worried About Pressure Of Pitching In Boston
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Chris Sale is the Anti-Price.
There is more than one reason why the Red Sox's big trade acquisition from the Winter Meetings appears to be the polar opposite of David Price, who signed a seven-year, $210 million contract with the Red Sox before the 2016 season. One of them is their incredibly disparate salaries, as Price will make $30 million next season while Sale will cost the Red Sox $39.5 million over the next three seasons. Another is Sale's ace-like mentality of pitching "with an edge," as John Farrell described it, whereas Price pitches in pressure situations like he's on edge.
There's one more reason why Sale is the Anti-Price, and unfortunately for the media-hating types in town, it's important: unlike Price, he does not sound worried about the public pressure that comes with pitching in Boston.
You may not be a fan of the writers and radio hosts in Boston and how they treat their athletes. You may find us collectively smug, cynical, and unfair in most cases, and that's fine. But it's just the reality of pitching for the Red Sox: the fans have high expectations, and the media can be overwhelming if you pay too much attention. It's probably best for the players to just deal with the media whenever they're obligated to do so, and otherwise ignore the noise.
Price, unequivocally, does not block out the noise. In fact, he goes out of his way to acknowledge it. Sale, on the other hand, does his best not to pay attention, as he explained to reporters in his first conference call with the Boston media on Wednesday morning.
"I'm not a big media guy," said Sale. "I'm not going to be reading about everything."
Sale added that he does not have a Twitter account. That's a stark difference from Price, who can't seem to stop engaging people who needle and bait him on social media about his lack of playoff success.
It's fair to note that Sale told reporters Price was the first new teammate of his to reach out and welcome him to the ballclub. No one would ever say Price is a bad teammate or a bad guy - he's just a little too sensitive to criticism to be the guy that defines the identity of your pitching staff.
The Red Sox rotation is much better off having a guy like Sale at the top. His talent is obvious and his fearlessness is what the staff really needs to lead them. He also made that clear when he was asked about it during his conference call.
Best of all, Sale won't pay attention to what nerds like me have to say about him - which, if he pitches to his capabilities, will be mostly good stuff.
Maybe Sale's history of destroying property will make him chuck Price's smartphone into Boston Harbor. Maybe he can convince Price to just stay off Twitter and worry about pitching. But even if Price still can't resist the urge to listen to the noise, the Red Sox can rest assured that Sale will be the one to ignore it.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
