Carl Yastrzemski is one of the greatest hitters in Red Sox history. But even he is afraid of the idea of facing Chris Sale.
Yaz was asked how he would fare against Sale in a recent interview with Dan Shaughnessy of The Boston Globe. In response, he said:
“I don’t know. I know he’s tough on left-handers. He wheels and deals. I feel sorry when I see a left-hander go up against him. I’m just glad it’s not me.’’
Over the course of his career, Yaz hit .244 against left-handed pitchers. Sale has only allowed a career batting average of .200 to left-handed hitters. He may have been tough on Yaz, but watching them square off in their primes would surely have been a treat.
In addition to his comments about Sale, Yaz expressed some optimism about the upcoming season for the Red Sox, and he was fairly confident in their chances of repeating as World Series champions.
It all comes down to pitching over 162 games. If the pitching is what it was last year, they are going to be in great shape. They are going to score runs. No doubt about that.
The Red Sox are continuing spring training but are less than three weeks away from beginning defense of their World Series title. Their season begins on March 28, when they take on the Seattle Mariners in the Mariners' home opener.
Boston Red Sox
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