Boston’s Chris Sale struggles in rehab start, takes out frustration by destroying TV

Since the end of the 2019 season, Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale has made just nine starts, all coming last year.

Most of that missed time was due to Tommy John surgery, which Sale underwent early in 2020.

A stress fracture in his right ribcage has kept Sale out of the big leagues this season, but he believes he’s ready to rejoin the Red Sox. That’s based on his rehab start Wednesday for Triple-A Worcester.

But Sale struggled a bit in Worcester’s 4-2 loss to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. While he allowed just one run on three hits in 3 2/3 innings with five strikeouts, he also walked five including one with the bases loaded.

“Pfffff. Not good,” Sale told the Boston Globe of his start. “I was just out there fishing today … Nothing to hang your hat on, that’s for sure.”

Sale’s immediate reaction to his start also was not good. He had a meltdown and destroyed a television in the Worcester clubhouse. Alysha Palumbo of NBC 10 in Boston shared video of Sale’s temper tantrum. It’s gone viral.

The only silver lining is the television was already broken, as Joe McDonald of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette noted.