Red Sox Get Blown Out in Season Opener

One of the biggest sports stories of 2018 was the magical season of the Boston Red Sox. They won 108 games during the regular season. This was the most in the long history of the team. They then cruised to the World Series title and were never seriously threatened during the playoffs. Outfielder Mookie Betts was named the Most Valuable Player in the American League. Betts had the highest batting average in the majors at .346. Chris Sale also had a brilliant season. However, he missed some time with injuries. Overall, the 2018 season was one that all Red Sox fans will never forget.

The 2019 season did not get off to a great start for the Boston Red Sox. Chris Sale got destroyed by a Seattle Mariners team that does not have a lot of thump in the lineup. He was one of the best pitchers in baseball last year. However, he simply did not have anything on Thursday afternoon at Safeco Field in Seattle. The Mariners scored seven earned runs on six hits in only three innings against Sale. He had not looked that bad in a very long time. Seattle hitters blasted some of Sale’s pitches a very long way. The Mariners beat the Red Sox 12-4.

There will be many questions about Chris Sale following his very poor performance in the first game of the year. People will be questioning his velocity. There will also be concerns about the injuries he had last year carrying over into this season. Only time will tell if these concerns have any merit to them. All pitchers have a bad day. Red Sox fans are hoping that Sale’s performance can simply be chalked up to a good day. To his credit, Sale spoke to the media after the game and took the blame. He said that he should have been able to protect the lead he was given by his teammates.

The hitting star for the Mariners was Tim Beckham. He blasted two home runs against Sale. This was the first time that a player had dome that in nearly two years. The thing that makes Beckham’s big day so unexpected is that he had never had a hit off sale in his career prior to Thursday. He said that he took a patient approach against Sale and it paid off. In previous games, he was too anxious and swung at pitches that were out of the strike zone.

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