JUPITER, Fla. -- It took only a few pitches in his first start of spring training here Friday for Chris Sale to light up the radar gun with readings of 96 and 97 mph.
"I looked up and I told (bench coach) Ron (Roenicke), 'Well, (so much) for everything we talked about holding back,'" Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said with a laugh.
There's a reason the Red Sox waited until almost the third week of the Grapefruit League schedule to have Sale make his debut. It's all part of the team's plan to build up its ace lefty's arm strength more gradually in an attempt to keep him from fading again in the final two months of a season.