Chris Sale dominates his former team for the first victory

CHICAGO – You could not have written the script better for Chris Sale.
Sale entered Friday's game not only looking for his first win in 2019, but also a chance to reconcile with his former team.
And that's exactly what he did in the Red Sox 6-1 game.

CHICAGO – You could not have written the script better for Chris Sale.

Sale entered Friday's game not only looking for his first win in 2019, but also a chance to reconcile with his former team.

And that's exactly what he did in the Red Sox's 6-1 win against the White Sox on Friday night at the Guaranteed Rate Field.

"It will never be weird. It will never be anything, "Sale said of pitching in Chicago. "Obviously, I've launched here a million times, but I love this place. I always liked to climb on this mound. It's special for me.

• The score of the box

Sale had made six starts this year before Friday, but something was missing for everyone. Whether it was fast ball control, fast ball speed, slider control or even all of the above, he had not been able to find an answer.

But for the first time in 2019, he set everything up, throwing six shutouts, eliminating 10 tied strikers and winning his first victory. He allowed only three hits and a walk.

This victory was the first for Sale since the first game of the 2018 series of the American League, opposing the Yankees of New York, October 5.

"I kind of go back to old things I used to do. Talk to [manager Alex Cora] and [pitching coach] Dana [LeVangie] a lot of things over the last week and back to things I did and things that made my success, "said Sale. "To be in the zone. Quality sites. Just like running in some cases and being where I needed to be.

"Last year he took off on May 6 in Texas. I was talking about that [Thursday]; The weather is a little different here, but it has started well today, "said Cora. "Fastball was 94, 95, good slider, fastball inside.

"You have to stick to the process and we have been very patient, obviously we wanted results before, but you stay with the process and good things are going to happen."

Sale's superb release was not only a sign of a continued upward trend, but also an excellent sign for all launcher personnel. Boston pitchers have now awarded four or less races in 20 of their last 21 games.

With David Price's quality debut and Sale's launch, a Red Sox throwing team seen as an important question mark during the first few weeks of the season is becoming a force.

This is a force that could help the team turn the tide and narrow the gap with the Tampa Bay Rays, who opened a 6 1/2 lead on Red's fourth-place Sox of the American League.

Devers bounces
Third base player Rafael Devers said he would not let the loss of 6-4 on Thursday night set it.

His costly mistake in the ninth inning helped propel the White Sox to victory, but he found a way to correct the damage.

Devers began Friday's game by crushing a three-point homer in his first game following a mistake, giving Sale a 3-0 lead. The projected shot by Statcast, 339 feet, was not only his first circuit of the season, but also a way to turn the page on what was an ugly end in the first game of the series.

"I felt normal. It was satisfactory, "said Devers. "I was not trying to make a home run, I was just trying to make a solid contact. I thank God for being able to hit the ball. "

"Good way to start today," said Cora. "He was good on the offensive. The power numbers are not there, but it controls the hitting zone. "