Chris Sale makes feelings known about his deep connection to playing in Boston

Chris Sale and the Atlanta Braves kicked off a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox on Friday at Fenway Park. Sale happened to be on the mound for Atlanta to begin the series, giving him a chance to return to a place that is special to him.

After the game, Sale spoke with reporters and described his feelings as he returned to Boston as an opponent. Sports writer Sean McAdam captured some of those quotes in an article written for "MassLive," and it was clear that Sale enjoyed his time with the Red Sox.

"I love it here," Sale said. "There's no secret there. I've always enjoyed, even when I was with Chicago, coming here and playing. I spent seven years and had some really good moments and I appreciate this place for what it is."

Sale was a huge favorite among the Red Sox fans during his tenure there. He was appreciative of getting the chance to play with a historic franchise.

The reigning Cy Young Award winner in the National League also discussed his mindset for this specific start.

"It's like walking into your childhood home," he added. "You just have a lot of memories built, a lot of relationships that you still have and appreciate. Again, you just try to push all of those to the wayside and do your job. The ceremony stops at pitch one. No one's giving in or giving up or thinking about anything other than winning and doing their job."

Sale was dominant on the mound in the win as he struck out eight batters in seven innings.

Chris Sale expressed confidence heading into 2025 season

There were concerns about Chris Sale heading into the 2024 season, but then he went out and won the Cy Young Award. Sale expressed his confidence, saying he would do even better in 2025.

Speaking on the Foul Territory podcast in Spring Training, Sale detailed some of his personal goals.

"I feel confident about this year," Sale said. "It's tough to do until you do it, but when you do it, you can kind of keep doing it. '23 I was just over 100 innings, last year, I was like 170. Kind of climbing the ladder, I feel like I should at least be able to do what I did last year.

"Anything can happen throughout a year in sports and whatever, but I do feel confident to be able to at least with the workload standpoint, the numbers, they kind of do what they do. But from a workload standpoint, I do feel like I'm ready to be exactly where I was last year if not take a step forward."

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Chris Sale has gone 2-3 with a 3.62 ERA this season. He has 72 strikeouts in 54.2 innings pitched.

About the author

Ryan Burks is a baseball journalist at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience in the field, writing for publications such as Knup Sports. Ryan graduated from Elmhurst College in 2009 with a degree in Communications.

Ryan is a huge Chicago Cubs fan and enjoys their storied history and traditions. His favorite sporting moment was when the Cubs won the 2016 World Series, breaking a championship drought that dated back to 1908.

His favorite player was Ken Griffey Jr., as Ryan grew up during his prime and he was the coolest player in league history. Greg Maddux also deserves a mention, as he was truly amazing on the mound.

When not working or watching sports, Ryan coaches basketball and baseball, loves fishing, and spends time with his family.

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Edited by Krutik Jain