Pitcher Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves looked strong and healthy in his Atlanta spring training debut on Tuesday, following three seasons in which he started thirty-one games for the Boston Red Sox.
According to David O’Brien of The Athletic, Sale tossed two innings in the Braves’ game against the Pittsburgh Pirates and appeared to be the Sale of the past:
“His Braves spring debut couldn’t have gone much better for Chris Sale, who fired two perfect innings with four strikeouts vs. the Pirates. Struck out the side in the second inning — swinging, foul tip, swinging. Braves lead 3-0 in the third, Murphy and Fletcher 2 hits apiece.”
The key issue with Sale is arm health, but O’Brien said that, at least so far, the Braves starter was able to bring the heat:
“If Sale is throwing 97 FBs, with his slider, obviously the only factor will be health. If he stays health, it’ll be one of the most impactful trades of the offseason in the majors.”
Last week, Sale talked about his first spring training with the Braves.
“I’m happy with where I’m at and I’m happy with where we’re going,” Sale said. “I’m just excited to keep this thing going and trying not to mess it up.”
