Cubs manager Joe Maddon unleashed a classic pun while commenting on Chris Sale’s freakish behavior.
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DIAMONDBACKS 9, REDS 8: In Cincinnati, Paul Goldschmidt’s solo home run in the fifth inning gave Arizona the lead for good as the Diamondbacks held on to end a four-game losing streak.
The 27-year-old Sale, the starting pitcher for the American League in the 2016 All-Star Game and one of the game’s top pitchers, was scheduled to pitch in Saturday night’s home game against the Detroit Tigers. The jerseys had collars in the style of the 1976 White Sox, and Sale apparently found them uncomfortable and lamented that the team was putting “PR and jersey sales” ahead of winning.
On Saturday, Chicago White Sox fans expected to see a thing of beauty and a sleep-depriving eyesore. According to the team, the suspension runs through Wednesday.
Closer David Robertson earned both victories, the second of which he was the first to admit he didn’t deserve.
“The actions or behaviors of the last 24 hours does not change in any aspect, any respect, our belief that Chris Sale can help this club win a championship and win multiple championships”, Hahn said. Granted, he’s one of the best in the game, so there still exists plenty of chance that a team interested in really boosting their rotation will quietly ignore the recent drama and add him to the payroll anyway.
The club insisted on wearing the jerseys and Sale took matters into his own hands by allegedly cutting up all the jerseys in the clubhouse so that the team couldn’t wear the throwbacks.
Sale then cut up an unknown number of jerseys before the game and was told to leave the stadium. Only the San Diego Padres (2006 NLDS), the Miami Marlins (2003 World Series), and the Seattle Mariners (2001 ALCS) have experienced longer postseason droughts than Sale’s White Sox.
Sale and Hahn met on Saturday to discuss the incident. “Yesterday was one of those instances, and it unfortunately led to events that required discipline”.
“Baseball is amusing like that”, said Eaton, who broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the ninth to win the game that was suspended on Saturday after eight innings due to thunderstorms. He is 14-3 with a 3.18 ERA in 19 starts this season.
Still, the bullpen kept Chicago in it with Sale at home. Sale was vocally angry during spring training about Adam LaRoche’s son Drake being banned from the clubhouse (which prompted LaRoche’s abrupt retirement) and his personal catcher Tyler Flowers not being brought back to the club.
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“At no point did he express the desire not to be a Chicago White Sox”, Hahn said.
