Chris Sale Is Pitching Tonight

For the Boston Red Sox.

That is all.

Well, no, of course that's not all. But, my goodness, is this the most anticipated Red Sox debut since...since...Pedro? 

Even Pedro had to make his debut on the road. On the West Coast even. His Fenway debut was in his second start. But, he performed amazingly. He gave us all a taste of what was to come as he completely dominated the game. Little did we know at the time that that was just the beginning. 

Another off-season acquisition that made a big Fenway debut was Manny Ramirez. I was at that game too. You all know how it turned out. The Red Sox fell immediately behind 3-0 in the top of the first inning. It was the kind of hole you never expected the Sox to climb out of. The previous season, the game would have already been all but over. But, somehow the first two runners in the bottom of the first reached. Then, Manny put the first pitch he saw into the netting for a game-tying three run home run. That's a way to make an entrance. People were chanting "First pitch homer" in the bathroom after the game. (That's seems a little odd, looking back.)

So, will Chris Sale deliver one of those performances tonight? Will he live up to, or even exceed, our expectations? Will he assure us all that everything is going to be OK. That he is exactly what we're all hoping we got?

I sure hope so. Because, that will be something special.

What do you think we'll see tonight?