Major League Baseball

Chris Sale might have his velocity back, which could be huge for surging Red Sox

Updated May. 6, 2023 11:17 a.m. ET

PHILADELPHIA — Frustrated with himself, the gangly Florida Man violently bashed the baseball against the side of his own head.

Chris Sale, the best 21st-century pitcher to never win a Cy Young, a former ace in the midst of an uninspiring 2023, seemed, once again, on the precipice of capitulation. After a masterful first three innings against the Phillies on Friday night, during which he tossed his fastest pitch in over four years, the Red Sox hurler nearly imploded in the fourth.

"The train was starting to get off the tracks a little bit." Sale told reporters post-game. "Emotions got high. Pot started to spill over."

The first four Phillies reached on base hits, the last of which, a game-tying Alec Bohm single, sent the lanky left-hander into a momentary frenzy. After the baseball found its way back to Sale's glove, it soon meandered to the side of Sale's noggin.

Light work compared to his thorough dismantling of a minor league clubhouse TV last year.

But instead of unraveling further, Sale buckled down, retiring the next three hitters to limit the damage. He returned for scoreless frames in the fifth and then the sixth, allowing only one additional baserunner. Sale finished the evening with 10 punch-outs in six innings of work, by far his best start of the young season.

The bullpen held the lead and the Red Sox won their seventh straight game, dampening Bryce Harper's highly anticipated return to the stadium he set alight last autumn.

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But more important than the win was the encouraging return of Sale's trademark fastball velocity. Before his outing on Friday, the seven-time All-Star was averaging 94 miles per hour on his four-seam fastball. But against the Phillies, Sale's heater sat a full two ticks higher. He even threw one 99 mph, something he hadn't done since August 12th, 2018.

"It's part of the process, right?" Sale explained, regarding his gradual climb in velocity. "[I'm] not gonna be finished product right out of the gate, especially with all the stuff that's happened."

It was a tantalizing glimpse of The Old Chris Sale, an alluring reminder of the pitcher he used to be: the soul-snatcher who spent most of the 2010s turning big league hitters into helpless puddles. Between 2012 and 2018, Sale used his devastating heater-slider combo to punch out a whopping 10.9 hitters per nine alongside a 2.91 ERA. He was, at the time, one of the few pitchers on the planet who looked as if he were a cut above everybody else, like there was somehow a league beyond MLB in which he truly belonged.

At his best, Sale looks like he's going to slap you, really hard, but instead, a baseball comes flying out of his hand, past your bat and into the catcher's mitt. It's a neat trick, one that Sale turned into a magnificent career and a five-year, $145 million extension with the Red Sox before the 2019 season.

Since then, the injury bug has wreaked its havoc on Sale, limiting him to just 36 underwhelming starts over the last four seasons. But this spring, he entered the season healthy, or at least healthy enough, to warrant a rash of optimism in Red Sox country.

That optimism soon turned to disappointment as Sale got rocked in his first five starts (8.22 ERA) while looking more cooked than burnt beef. An effective sixth outing against the wet-noodled Cleveland Guardians lineup was nice, but far from definitive.

Friday evening was a different story. The 35-year-old looked reinvigorated, comfortable, dominant. His slider was sharp, his fastball had buzz and his opponents had little chance. Sale's one blemish, that three-run fourth inning, was the result of a mishandled dribbler, some well-placed hits and the only hard-hit ball he allowed all evening.

For Sox manager Alex Cora and Co. it was a positive sign, a leap in the right direction. Because the surging Red Sox, considering the rest of their bare-bones rotation, desperately need Chris Sale to be something, anything other than a pitching machine.

And the Red Sox might be a solid ballclub, at least offensively. Rafael Devers remains one of the game's most fearsome at-bats. Masataka Yoshida looks like the real deal. Alex Verdugo got in better shape and is crushing the ball. Former top prospect Jarren Duran is off to a volcanic start. It's a deep, experienced lineup that can single-handedly win games.

And so far this year they've had to because the starting pitching... well... yikes. The only club with a worse rotation ERA than Boston right now is the Oakland Athletics, who look so eager to bolt for Las Vegas that they've put together a pitching staff of Triple-A quality hurlers. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that a 5.99 ERA isn't going to cut it, especially in the loaded American League East.

For Boston to truly contend, they'll need improvements from Nick Pivetta, Corey Kluber and the rest of the rotation. But a rejuvenated Sale is an absolute must. And unlike that retro White Sox jersey he snipped up in 2016, the man is not washed. At least not quite yet.

The long-limbed maniac rages on.

Jake Mintz, the louder half of @CespedesBBQ is a baseball writer for FOX Sports. He played college baseball, poorly at first, then very well, very briefly. Jake lives in New York City where he coaches Little League and rides his bike, sometimes at the same time. Follow him on Twitter at @Jake_Mintz.