BALTIMORE — Chris Sale always brings the heat.
Sale let home-plate umpire Brian Knight have it at Camden Yards on Wednesday afternoon over an apparent disagreement about the strike zone, earning the Red Sox lefty the second ejection of his career.
Technically, Sale’s day was finished anyway after walking the first two batters in the seventh inning, a small blemish on a fine performance. That’s when Sale took the opportunity to let Knight know just how he felt. Sale pointed at Knight and yelled as he crossed the foul line before getting some more words in from the dugout. A magic four-letter word or two was used.
Sale allowed the Orioles just two hits and one run with nine strikeouts and an abnormally high four walks. His effort was key for the Sox on a day the bullpen.
The league sometimes issues punishment in these situations. Typically, though, the league is not heavy-handed because of a deference to the emotions and sense of competitiveness players have. The question will be whether Sale crossed any line. MLB typically wouldn’t announce a fine but would announce something stronger, i.e. a suspension — but there's no way a suspension is merited in this case.
The only other time Sale was ejected was in 2015, when he was with the White Sox. The White Sox and Royals got into a fight and Sale tried to get into the Royals clubhouse after that game.