Buckley: Chris Sale claims he cherishes every day in uniform. His decision not to get vaccinated says otherwise

BOSTON, MA - SEPTEMBER 6: Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox looks on during a game against the Tampa Bay Rays on September 6, 2021 at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
By Steve Buckley
Sep 18, 2021

What are we to make of the startling, head-scratching news that Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale, who has twice tested positive for COVID-19, never got around to being vaccinated?

This is not a rumor. This comes directly from his own mouth.

Sale, purported leader of the clubhouse, who just last month vowed never again to take for granted a single day in the big leagues, said, “Uh, no, I am not,” Friday night in response to a reporter’s question about whether he’s been vaccinated. He was speaking with the media via video conference when he dropped that little piece of news, this after allowing one run in five innings in the Red Sox’ 7-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles at Fenway Park, his first start since returning from the COVID-19 Injured List.

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Sale also tested positive for COVID-19 before spring training as he was continuing his rehabilitation from Tommy John surgery.

Now let’s roll the tape back to last month — Saturday, Aug. 14, to be exact — and to Sale’s first start in two years. After submitting a hugely encouraging effort before an appreciative gathering of 33,118 at Fenway Park — two runs allowed in five innings, with eight strikeouts against no walks in Boston’s 16-2 victory over the Orioles — Sale made it clear just how special, how fleeting, it is to be a big-league ballplayer.

“You know, this isn’t gonna last forever,” he said during his postgame video news conference. “This game was ripped out of my hands. I had a hole in my chest for two years, and, you know, I’ll be completely honest with you: I took days for granted. I’ve been a big-leaguer for 11 years now. And I took moments, I took days, I took weeks, for granted, and through all of this, I guess I’ve had a huge perspective change.”

And he said this: “I feel like I can tell you one thing — I’m not wasting another day of my big-league career. That’s just not going to happen.”

Except that it did happen. Sale’s second positive test for COVID-19 idled him for 10 days in the heat of a playoff race, as the Red Sox are battling the Yankees and Blue Jays — and, you never know, possibly the A’s and Mariners — for a wild-card path to the postseason.

The pitcher who admitted he took moments, took days, took weeks, for granted … had to take 10 days off.

If the Red Sox fail to secure one of the two American League wild-card spots, it won’t be unfair to wonder why Chris Sale’s huge perspective change didn’t include getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Red Sox clubhouse has been a COVID-19 hothouse over the past month, with a dozen players testing positive. Counting close contacts, 15 players have landed on the COVID-19 IL. Now we can have all kinds of side discussions, such as what role being cooped up in the clubhouse during a rain delay in Cleveland played in running up the numbers. But it still comes down to this: Being vaccinated is in the national interest, even in the American League. Being vaccinated has helped drive down cases of COVID-19 nationwide. That the ballparks have opened up again to fandom — the attendance at Fenway Park for Saturday’s Red Sox-Orioles game was 30,027 — is because people are getting vaccinated.

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Don’t take my word for it. Earlier this year, Red Sox manager Alex Cora lent his name and voice to one of those when-it’s-your-turn-get-vaccinated PSAs that seemed to be playing on the radio every 12 minutes.

It’s likely the Red Sox wouldn’t be in this mess if every one of his players had listened to him.

The disconnect here is scary. The Red Sox want you to get vaccinated. They also want you to believe they are all in for the race to the postseason. And yet the man who slammed shut the door on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the ninth inning of Game 5 of the 2018 World Series — Chris Sale — didn’t step forward when it was his turn to be vaccinated.

Sale was correct last month when he spoke of the importance of never taking for granted a single day in the big leagues. It’s something we should always remember on those occasions when reading those heart-warming, Rockwellian stories about some spectacularly talented high school or college ballplayer getting the magical call with the news that he’s selected in the amateur draft. Parents beam and cry. Old coaches relay anecdotes about hard work, commitment, dedication. Sometimes the local TV station shows up for a live shot.

But everyone understands the arrangement: It’s not going to last. For every Nelson Cruz and Rich Hill (both 41) who’ve managed to carve out lengthy big-league careers, there are thousands of players whose careers come to a close after only a couple of seasons in the dusty minor leagues.

Chris Sale’s words are a reminder for ballplayers to cherish every day they get to play professional baseball.

His actions suggest something else altogether.

(Photo: Billie Weiss / Boston Red Sox / Getty Images)

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Steve Buckley

Steve Buckley is a senior writer for The Athletic. He was previously a sports columnist for the Boston Herald for nearly 24 years after spending time a columnist for the National Sports Daily and a contributor on ESPN2. Follow Steve on Twitter @BuckinBoston