Chris Sale’s first career start for the Red Sox was a gem.
The Red Sox clearly have their ace, the pitcher they can count on in 40-degree weather early in the season against a National League team, when runs are particularly hard to come by. His new club needed every one of Sale’s seven scoreless innings and then some, finally scoring in the 12th when Sandy Leon launched a three-run homer over the Green Monster for a 3-0 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
“I felt good, I felt confident,” Sale said. “I felt like I was able to throw all my pitches for strikes.