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Red Sox's Chris Sale suffers shoulder soreness. A look at the pitcher's injury prone career
The Boston Red Sox and the Cincinnati Reds game took an unexpected turn as the Red Sox's star pitcher, Chris Sale, had to leave the field early due to injury.
The Boston Red Sox were rocked early in the game against the Cincinnati Reds by the untimely injury to their star pitcher, Chris Sale. The baseball player exited the game in the fourth inning after two medical visits owing to pain in his left shoulder. He will get an MRI to determine the extent of the damage on Friday.
A Pitcher's Duel cut short
The first three innings were a classic pitchers' battle, with Sale and Reds starter Hunter Greene combining for 12 strikeouts. However, Sale's position went down in the top of the fourth. Alex Cora, the team's manager, and Masai Takahashi, the team's athletic trainer, made two visits. Despite Sale's desire to go on, Cora made the choice to remove him from the game.
Health first
"Obviously, it didn't look great," Cora said after the game, expressing worry about Sale's pitch velocity. The decision was taken to keep Sale on a shorter leash, putting his health first.
"I cannot be irresponsible," Cora added, ESPN reported. "We know each other. Obviously, it's not easy with everything he has gone through, but I've got to take care of him."
Chris Sale and a history of injuries
It was in 2017 that the 34-year old played full season without featuring in injured list. Sale had a fantastic season after being traded to the Red Sox, going 17-8 with a 2.90 ERA.
He had another excellent season in 2018, however he missed some time due to left shoulder inflammation.
In 2019, Sale's performance dipped, and he was placed on the injured list with left elbow inflammation.
Due to Tommy John surgery, he missed the whole 2020 season.
Sale returned in 2021 but struggled later in the season, landing on the COVID-19 injury list.
In 2022, he started the season on the injured list after suffering a right rib stress fracture, a fractured left pinkie finger, and surgery for a broken right wrist.
Despite the setback, the team touches success
The Red Sox rallied to upset the Reds 8-2. The bullpen and bats took control after Justin Garza, Josh Winckowski, Nick Pivetta, and Chris Martin pitched a combined 4 1/3 innings of 2-hit, 1-run ball. The Red Sox overcame an early 1-0 deficit by scoring eight runs, including six in the final inning of game two.
