FORT MYERS — Chris Sale had the strongest reaction last night not to his pitching, but his fielding.
Sale failed to cover first base in the fourth inning, his last in a 4-3 Red Sox win over the Pirates at JetBlue Park.
“That’s stupid,” said Sale, who punched himself on the head with the ball afterward. “That’s what we’re here for. We’ve done that 400,000 times since we’ve been here, covering first base. A ball hit over there, cover first base. That’s just a stupid mistake on my part. I’ve got to be better than that, even here.