Was There Ever Any Doubt That Chris Sale Would Start Opening Day?

The Boston Red Sox officially open up their 2019 campaign on March 28th when they take on the Seattle Mariners. There were rumblings as to who might get the ball for the Red Sox on Opening Day. Those rumors were finally put to bed yesterday as Alex Cora announced that Chris Sale will be the Opening Day starter.

Cora announces Chris Sale as the Opening Day starter in Seattle.

— Jen McCaffrey (@jcmccaffrey) March 17, 2019

The thing that amazes me is that people actually thought that Sale might not get the ball game one. Was there really ever a question of whether or not Sale would get the ball opening day? Not really!

Alex Cora Said It Was An Easy Decision To Select Sale

Alex Cora came out and said that Sale was the easy decision to select to start on the mound March 28th.

Alex Cora said Chris Sale was an easy choice to start Opening Day.

To hear everything the manager had to say on the decision, check out "NESN Sports Today." https://t.co/uP3RVorKD8 pic.twitter.com/XQniduXMG5

— NESN (@NESN) March 18, 2019

I agree wholeheartedly with Cora on this one. Yes, you could argue that David Price or maybe even Nathan Eovaldi could also be worthy candidates of Opening Day starter. But, Sale is the ace of this team and everybody knows it. He has been an All-Star in both of his seasons with the Red Sox. He also continuously proves to be one of the best starting pitchers in the MLB year in and year out. Red Sox nation is very happy to see that Alex Cora understands that as well.

Look at the Numbers

The numbers speak for themselves. Sale is 29-12 with a 2.50 ERA in his two seasons with Boston. Keep in mind, he also has 545 strikeouts and only 77 walks in 59 starts. Sale proves every season that he can dominate. Now, he just has to prove he can last an entire season.

In Conclusion

This decision could be seen from a million miles away. Sale is the best starting pitcher on this team and mostly everyone knows it. The Red Sox pitching staff as a whole is very deep. But, Sale is the alpha dog in this situation. Get me to Opening day already!

Chris Sale is your Opening Day starter in Seattle. Time to finally get this guy a Cy Young. #RedSox @RedSoxCLNS

— Nick Quaglia (@NickQuag) March 17, 2019