Chris Sale has had a miserable start to the 2019 campaign, and his velocity has been the main concern up to date. Through his first three starts, Sale's pitches had rarely touched 94 mph and the lefty saw his record fall to 0-3 early on in the year. 


What was even more troubling was his 9.00 ERA and the eight strike outs he had accumulated through his first three starts. 


However, a date with the Yankees in the Bronx saw a rare opportunity for the struggling pitcher to find his groove against a team who he was able to dominate the past season. His 2-0 record against the Yankees in 2018 was only bettered by his 0.69 ERA, and at the start of the game today, it looked like it would be the same old Sale against the Bronx Bombers.


He cruised through the first inning, retiring the side in order while adding a strikeout. He would continue to be sharp in the second, retiring the Yankees in order yet again, but in the third, the game started to unravel for Chris Sa​le. 


Despite an increase in his fastball velocity, Sale would surrender four runs over five innings pitched, giving up seven hits. Sale's inability to blow away Yankee hitters cannot be comforting for the Red Sox coaching staff and management.

Without the velocity, Sale is going to have to revamp his pitching style, something not all pitchers are able to do, especially on the fly. If he is unable to do that, and the velocity does not fully return, Sale's recent outings will become less of an enigma and more of a regularity, causing ​Red Sox fans and management alike to start questioning the five-year contract they signed him too in the offseason.

Alex Cora may try to act cool and collected about the situation, but there's no denying that the manager is worried about the team's star pitcher. Sale just signed a ​massive six-year extension with the Red Sox, and he's not looking likely to live up to the deal if he doesn't figure out what's plaguing him. 


He initially believed it was a mechanical issue causing him to lose velocity, and while he seems to have made the proper adjustment in that regard, he is not as effective of a pitcher. 


Even upon the return of his fastball's velocity, the pitch was not creating swinging strikes, and thus the Yankees had no problem showing Sale the exit door and handing Boston a loss in the first of their 19 rivalry matchups this season.