Sale at peace with not starting opener: Can't 'demand anything at this point'

Boston Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale accepted manager Alex Cora's decision to not give him the Opening Day start against the Baltimore Orioles on March 30.

"Who am I to come in here and demand anything at this point?" Sale said, according to The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey.

"I mean, seriously. I could have easily gotten a phone call this offseason saying, 'Hey, we're done with you,' because it's happened. You look at the last few years, the contracts and everything, there were guys in very similar situations as me that were cut loose. And (the Red Sox) want me to play for them still, so I appreciate that."

Sale returns to the Red Sox rotation after missing the entire 2020 campaign and making just eleven starts the past two seasons due to a number of injuries and other issues.

The southpaw has been impressive for the Red Sox this spring but said Cora informed him he wouldn't pitch on Opening Day, which falls on Sale's 34th birthday, before spring training started.

"I think (Cora) didn't want me to be over-amped for it, and I think he truly just wants me to be able to soak in Opening Day, enjoy it, appreciate it for what it is, and not have to worry about getting ready for a start," the pitcher said.

"It's a spectacle. It's an absolute circus - the people, the media coverage, the flyover, the anthem - it's just everybody on the line: players, personnel, the whole nine."