LOS ANGELES – On Oct. 28, 2018, Chris Sale took the mound for the bottom of the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium. Across the country, the baseball world watched as the World Series neared its end.
“And even just running in from the bullpen,” Sale recalled, “I was like, ‘Man, I gotta get three outs, I got a four-run lead. Let’s see it.’”
Three strikeouts later, the Boston Red Sox were World Series champions. They celebrated on the Dodgers’ field after Sale struck out the side to bring another trophy to Boston.
“It’s very, like, surreal,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution of winning the World Series. “I’ve played that moment out in my mind as a kid my entire life – from before I can remember, right? As a hitter, too. ‘Bases loaded, two outs, bottom of the ninth, World Series on the line’ and you hit the tennis ball over the fence, or you make the last pitch, or whatever. Everything just kind of stopped for a moment.”
Credit: AP