WORCESTER, Mass. — Boston Red Sox ace pitcher Chris Sale was caught on video having a destructive meltdown in the dugout after he was removed from a rehab start in Worcester on Wednesday night.
Video taken by Brian O’Neil and shared with Boston 25 News showed Sale walking into the dugout tunnel at Polar Park and going berserk after being pulled from a game against the Scranton/Wiles-Barre Railriders.
Sale could be seen bashing a baseball bat off the wall before yanking, kicking, and smashing what appears to be a television.
By Thursday afternoon, Sale was making amends. The WooSox say he is paying for the smashed television, although they say the television had already been broken several weeks ago. The team also said Sale spent thousands of dollars for both pre-game and post-game meals for the entire team and coaching staff Wednesday night.
The 33-year-old lefty did strike out five batters in the game, but he also racked up five walks over 3 2/3 innings.
When asked about his performance at a postgame press conference, Sale said, “It was all just frustration. I’ve gone months without walking five guys...Nothing’s wrong, I just have some things that I have to clean up.”
Sale added, “I know exactly what I have to do. I knew exactly what I had to do and that’s why I got so frustrated. I had to fix this and I didn’t fix it...That’s where that big time frustration comes out of.”
Sale hasn’t pitched for Boston this season because he suffered a stress fracture in his rib cage in February.
From a physical standpoint, Sale noted that he almost “felt too good” before taking the mound.
It’s not clear when Sale will be called up to pitch in Boston.
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