Chris Sale. (Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Chris Sale threw the final pitch of the World Series October 28 and, tonight at 7 p.m., the Red Sox ace will oppose the 2-0 Mariners for MLB's Opening Day.
It's Sale's fifth career start in the opener. He's 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA through the first four.
The lefty was limited to 27 starts last year and a career-low 158 regular season innings, but he got plenty of rest in the offseason, worked on repetitions, said his body's comfortable, and he's not worried about limitations.
"I think I just go out there and pitch my game," he said. "However it shakes out, it shakes out. But, I got a ball in my hand and I'm standing on the mound and it's go-time? I'm gonna compete as hard as I can for as long as I can."
It's all he can do. Really, all the team can do.
Defending Champion Red Sox Face Many Questions In 2019
Plenty of questions are facing the Red Sox as they prepare to open their season tonight in Seattle—like, who will their closer be?
But Sale said the defending champs are only looking forward.
"We're not World Series Champions this year, we're World Series Champions last year," he said. "And I think, it's fun, I appreciated it, I had a freakin' blast, every second of the way it was unbelievable. But I don't want to hold onto that too long—I want to get ready for this one, and go for it again."
World Series MVP Steve Pearce will start the year on the Injured List because of a calf injury.
WBZ NewsRadio's Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) reports