Sale dominates with 11 Ks as Red Sox win 7-1 to spoil Blue Jays celebration
TORONTO — Chris Sale almost single handedly dampened the mood at Rogers Centre. After a lengthy pre-game ceremony celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary had the 46,672 fans at Rogers Centre energized, the Red Sox starter struck out 11 over seven scoreless innings to lift Boston over the Blue Jays 7-1 on Saturday to quiet the crowd along with Toronto’s bats.
That deflated feeling spread to the Blue Jays clubhouse after the game. The room that had been filled with laughter and loud rap music before the afternoon matinee was subdued after Sale’s performance, with the TVs turned off, no music and most of the players from Toronto’s starting lineup nowhere to be seen.
“It’s not fun,” said third baseman Darwin Barney. “When he can add and subtract to all of his pitches and he definitely likes to attack hitters. That’s where the frustration comes from: you want to attack him early but you know that if you keep his pitch count down he can go 10 innings.
“You’ve got to be selective but in the end sometimes that first pitch is the best one you see.”