Chris Sale is Simply…

Filthy. Nasty. Incredible. Sick.

Well, maybe I shouldn’t say “sick” when talking about the Red Sox right now.

But, that leaves me with one big question.

How did I not see this coming?

Oh, sure. I knew he was a great pitcher. I knew he was one of the best pitchers in the league. I know he was a pitcher worth giving up the top prospect in baseball for. I didn’t know that I was getting a guy who was going to embarrass batters for seven innings.

I mean, I like to consider myself a fairly dedicated baseball fan. I like to think I educate myself on the game and its players. But I didn’t know this.

Because there are different ways a pitcher can win games. There’s the Greg Maddux “keep the hitter off balance and mix it up” type. There’s the Derek Lowe “use the sinker to get a million ground balls” type. There’s the Justin Verlander “bet you can’t hit my fastball” type. There’s the Randy Johnson “you can swing if you want, but the ball is already at your ankle” type. And, there’s the Pedro Martinez “just sit down…you have no idea how to hit any of this” type. 

I didn’t know the Sox were getting Randy Johnson.

How did this guy lose ten games last year?

Now, I know. One game on a freezing cold April night does not a season make. There’s a reason he didn’t throw a shutout every start last year. But, better hitters don’t change that slider. I don’t care how warm it is, you can’t hit that.

So, how did I miss this? East Coast bias? Was he hidden on an underperforming team? Was I just not paying attention?

I’m glad I get to make up for lost time by seeing him every fifth game from now on.

This is going to be a lot of fun.