Chris Sale has never been known for subtlety. This is a dude who famously tongue-lashed his teammates during the 2018 World Series to inspire them to greatness, took scissors to a clubhouse full of throwback jerseys in Chicago after a bad outing, and bitch-slapped Justin Trudeau in the heat of an argument over trade embargos (that last one still undocumented). If Sale’s stomping off the mound after a less-than-stellar performance and you happen to be a TV monitor, water cooler or commodities broker in his path, you gotta watch the fuck out. For a guy who looks like he weighs less than Pedro Martinez’s car keys, he packs an otherworldly amount of rage per square inch.
When I heard that Sale would be throwing a rehab start in Worcester as part of his march back to the team, a part of me figured that with all eyes on him, he’d be dropping a little “performance art” if things didn’t go his way. And the man did not disappoint. After submitting three and two-thirds innings that included five walks, Sale marched to the clubhouse and promptly went ham on a bulletin board that may or may not have said something about his grandmother:
Chris Sale clearly not happy with the way he pitched Wednesday Night. video courtesy @bri4homes #wcvb pic.twitter.com/a7rpngC9Be
— Duke Castiglione (@DukeCastiglione) July 7, 2022
A spoiled millionaire acting like a clown? Or a master strategist sending a warning to all other AL teams that his rage is unchecked and ready to boil over? I’ll let someone sober decide. Suffice it to say that the Red Sox are about to play a shit-ton of games against the AL East, and any edge they can get — homicidal or otherwise — will be to their advantage.
Just remember: Chris Sale is awesome. But an angry Chris Sale is damn near unstoppable.