Chris Sale hurled five strong innings Friday in his return from getting COVID-19, allowing just two hits which led the Boston Red Sox to a 7-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles.
“No, I am not,” Sale said Friday night when asked if he was vaccinated or not after picking up his fourth win of the season.
The southpaw testing positive was the second time he’s had the virus — he also confirmed that he’s been asymptomatic both times.
“I’ve had it twice now, and both times, (I) wouldn’t have known,” said Sale.
Sale testing positive was Boston’s 10th positive COVID-19 test after he tested positive on September 10th. He was able to return earlier than normal after testing negative, as he was likely going to miss two starts instead of just one had he not tested negative.
The one start he did miss? It was against his former team, the White Sox. Sale spent the first seven years of his major-league career in Chicago, before being dealt to Boston.
“I love Chicago — I love going back and seeing guys — I love the city, and I love being around my team. I love playing baseball,” the left-hander said. “Having it taken away from me was tough but I understand, it comes with a territory. The weirdest part for me in all of this was getting a phone call having someone tell me that I’m sick. That was kind of awkward.”
“I came in here, I threw my bullpen. I did my workout — everything,” he added. “And I get a phone call and they’re like, ‘Hey, you tested positive for COVID.’ And I’m just, I don’t know how. I didn’t feel bad, I never had a cough or the runs or any of the other symptoms that come with it, so it was just kind of a head-scratcher. Luckily, I have good doctors here. They’re checking in on me every day and making sure I was doing alright. I had to take my temperature and do the pull socks, and some other things but I work hard to maintain a good diet and exercise routine and take vitamins every day so I was prepared for this.”
(Photo of Red Sox Ace Chris Sale by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)