VIDEO: Chris Sale Suspects Astros May Have Stolen Signs During His 2017 ALDS Start
By Michael Luciano
Chris Sale was one of the most dominant pitchers in the game, starter or reliever, in 2017, but his electric slider and triple-digit fastball did little to phase the Houston Astros, who beat him twice in the ALDS while saddling him with a 8.38 ERA in the series. Now that it is public knowledge that the Astros used a wide array of sources to steal signs, Sale may finally have an explanation for his poor performance.
Let's try that again:
— Christopher Smith (@SmittyOnMLB) February 16, 2020
Chris Sale suspected the Astros might have been stealing signs during his 2017 ALDS Game 1 start.https://t.co/HNDnNmnEXA
Sale pitched five innings in Game 1, giving up nine hits and seven runs in an eventual 8-2 loss. He also took a second loss when he gave up two runs in 4.2 innings of relief in Game 5.
Sale might have missed his spots on a few fastballs in this game, but it's really easy to connect the dots on this one and put most of the blame on the Astros, especially in the opening contest.
.@marwinGF9 drives in 2! The @Astros lead the @RedSox 4-2 in Game 1. #ALDS #Postseason pic.twitter.com/gVawXmLDmJ
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 5, 2017
Sale was not himself in his postseason tussle with the Astros after such a dominant regular season, and it appears we have some clarity as to why. That 2017 championship is always going to have a little asterisk next to it in the eyes of the non-Houston viewing public.