“119 wins, lot of outs, none more gratifying than this one” - Alexa Cora relives World Series triumph as farewell message for Braves-bound Chris Sale
Chris Sale's time with the Boston Red Sox has come to an end with his trade recently. He had been with the team since 2017, an integral part of their triumphant 2018 season. Injuries have marred the rest of his time, but he was an absolute ace in Boston.
Upon his exit, longtime manager Alex Cora, who's led Sale from the dugout for quite some time, shared a farewell message to his ace. He thanked him for his time and shed light on one of the most important moments of Sale's Red Sox tenure.
Cora wrote on Instagram:
“119 wins, a lot of outs, none more gratifying than this one. #ThankYou Chris.”
Sale had plenty of appearances over the seven seasons he spent in Boston after arriving from the Chicago White Sox, but none were as huge as his relief entry in the World Series.
The pitcher locked down the final outs in the 2018 series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, cementing the team as world champions and earning himself a ring for his career.
Now, he's been traded to the Atlanta Braves, a team with tremendous World Series aspirations. They've been a dominant force for the last several years, and they could be the vehicle that gets Sale his second-ever title.
Chris Sale leaves hole in Boston
The Boston Red Sox have needed an ace, a top-end starter, for the last few years. Chris Sale is ordinarily that guy, but injuries sapped him. In the last three seasons, he made 31 appearances and didn't play in 2020.
The Red Sox have boasted a good offense during that time, but they've needed pitching. They couldn't rely on Sale and traded him to the Braves for Vaughn Grissom. That still means they need an ace.
They were in on Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who ultimately signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. There are still options available, like Jordan Montgomery (who might be too expensive), Blake Snell and others.
They did sign Lucas Giolito to a two-year deal, but they still need that rock-solid ace they've been searching for.