If it ever seems as if the Chris Sale trade has already inflicted the maximum amount of possible pain on the Boston Red Sox, it's best to recalculate. Sale was traded from the Red Sox to the Atlanta Braves for infielder Vaughn Grissom before the 2024 season,

But the injury bug soon bit Sale. There was Tommy John surgery, a broken rib, a cranky shoulder, a broken wrist, a broken finger. In his final five seasons in Boston, he made just 56 starts. Following the 2023 season, the Sox traded Sale to the Braves with Atlanta clinging to the hope that he might recapture some of his early career success.

Chris Sale's last start as a visitor at Fenway Park was almost a decade ago. He returned Friday and showed he hadn't forgotten how to win there.