Chris Sale might finally be finding his groove again.
The Red Sox’ lefty came out firing from the jump in Friday’s 5-3 win against the Phillies. After retiring the first two hitters he faced, Sale pitched some of the fastest pitches he’s thrown in years against Bryce Harper in the first inning, giving the Phillies’ star a not-so-warm welcome back in his first game in Philadelphia this season.
All four pitches Sale threw were four-seam fastballs. All four went at least 97.5 mph, per Baseball Savant. His four-seam fastball topped out at 98.6 mph in Harper’s at-bat before he struck him out to end the first inning.