Chris Sale wants you to know that he knows he “acted like an idiot.”
He also wants you to know that it’s the fault of the camera that he headlined on Thursday.
The Boston Red Sox pitcher hasn’t pitched a major league field since 2021. But he’s almost ready to return from a long stay on the injured list with several injuries, including a fractured rib. Part of the process included a start to rehab on Wednesday with Triple-A Worcester Red Sox. It did not go as planned.
Sale retired after a base-laden walk to the fourth inning. He responded by doing this:
This is Sale removing his frustrations about what was hanging on the walls of the WooSox tunnel. While one piece of wall ornament received the weight of his anger, reduced to wreckage on the tunnel floor, another struggled. When he couldn’t pull off that second piece of wall art, Sale gave him three powerful blows before exiting the tunnel.
BOSTON, MA – JUNE 14: Chris Sale # 41 of the Boston Red Sox addresses the media ahead of a game against the Oakland Athletics on June 14, 2022 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss / Boston Red Sox / Getty Images)
On Thursday, Sale acknowledged that he was, in fact, the man responsible for the wreckage, and that he also claimed a television during his commotion.
“It happens, right? I wouldn’t be here without that … I expect a lot from myself. I hope to be who I am. If that doesn’t work, sometimes emotions take over at best. Worcester pulled out a new TV.”
When pressured to respond to people reacting to the video, Sale blamed, unnamed, the person who recorded it. In this case, it was Alysha Palumbo of NBC 10 Boston. He also explained that his job playing baseball is fraught with pressure, unlike that of someone who, for example, works for a global financial institution.
“That’s his problem with video recording,” Sale continued. “If you want me to act like a normal person, you have to treat me like a normal person. That’s not like a normal atmosphere. If I was in Bank of America, I wouldn’t want to, right? You’re not in Bank of America. That’s sport “This is leverage. This is pressure.”
Sale acknowledged that he “acted like an idiot.” He then quickly blamed the camera again for his problems on Thursday.
The story goes on
“When I was young, I made mistakes,” Sale continued. “I won’t shy away from it. I acted like an idiot last night. I’ve acted like an idiot before.
“I do it in the dugout. Over the years I’ve been told, ‘Hey, take it to the tunnel.’ You think you’re in a safe space. You think you’re in private. This is a place where you really shouldn’t have cameras. “There is no public access, so I thought it was safer.”
Plus, his anger makes him good at baseball.
“It’s what it is,” Sale continued. “He’s who I am. He’s what makes me a great league player. He’s what makes me good at my job. He may not be the best for the public eye. But what is he? Who’s perfect Give it a name, I’d love to shake your hand …
“You’re just acting like an idiot, honestly. It’s just a seven-year-old rage. It’s not something I’m proud of. It’s not something I want to do. Like I said, things happen, man. You have to get it out. “.
In case you missed it, things really happen when there is Sale. During spring 2016 training with the Chicago White Sox, Sale made a profane diatribe to general manager Kenny Williams after Williams banned the teenage son of a clubhouse teammate.
That same season, he cut out his promotional uniforms and those of some teammates because he didn’t want to take his to the mound. It was deleted from its scheduled start that day and finally changed to the low season.
When he’s at his best, Sale is one of baseball’s most dominant pitchers. At 33 years old after three years of injury seasons, Sale is no longer at his best. At some point, the disadvantage of his temperament outweighs his lot. Fortunately for the sale, he has more than two years left of the five-year, $ 145 million extension he signed in 2019.