The Red Sox Thursday, April 6, 2017

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Chris Sale sparkles in Red Sox debut

Nick Cafardo

The love affair between and Red Sox fans started on Opening Day with a prolonged standing ovation as he was introduced. It continued as he walked to the bullpen Wednesday to do his warm-up prior to his first Sox start, as the fans cheered and were “out of their minds,” as Sale put it, to see him.

It didn’t end there, either.

As he walked off the mound after the top of the seventh inning, the cheers continued. And why not? Sale didn’t disappoint, striking out seven and leaving a scoreless game the Sox won when Sandy Leon a walkoff three-run homer in the 12th.

Sale threw his first at 97 miles per hour. Most of the rest were between 92 and 94. He had a fabulous and excellent . There wasn’t much Sale couldn’t do in his first Red Sox outing.

“I felt good,” he said. “I felt confident I could throw all of my pitches for strikes, whether I was ahead on the count or behind. The credit goes to Sandy. He called the pitches. I just threw them.”

As for his state of mind, Sale said, “I get nervous before every game, but tonight was different because it was my first time pitching for the Red Sox. Running out of the first base dugout was awesome. It was special. I tried to go through my normal routine and do everything I normally do, but I also wanted to soak it all in.

“Opening Day was something I’ll never forget, and walking off in the seventh inning is something I’ll never forget. Again, I am really appreciative.”

There’s always a certain level of angst any time a with a lot of hype makes his Red Sox debut. It seems on those occasions the debuts have been decent, but sometimes what comes after leaves a lot to be desired.

Sale’s performance Wednesday night was in line with other strong ones put in by other major acquisitions over the years in their Red Sox debuts. In 1998, Pedro Martinez beat the Athletics, 2-0, in Oakland in his Sox debut, striking out 11 and allowing three hits and no runs over seven innings. In 2006, beat the Rangers in Texas, 2-1, in his Sox debut, going seven innings and allowing one run with one walk and five . In 2007, beat the Royals in Kansas City, 4-1, in his Sox debut, going seven innings and allowing one run and striking out 10. In 2010, pitched six three-hit innings with two walks and three strikeouts in a 3-1 loss to the Yankees in his Sox debut. In 2015, pitched six innings in his Sox debut, allowing three earned runs in a 4-2 loss to the Phillies in Philadelphia. And last year, pitched six innings in his Sox debut, allowing two runs with 10 strikeouts in a 6-2 win over the Indians in .

The only question Wednesday night appeared to be whether the Red Sox offense would score enough runs against Pittsburgh starter Jameson Taillon to support Sale, given the fact that was missing from the starting lineup with flu-like symptoms and was sent home for the same reason. Leon didn’t answer that question until the 12th.

Beckett, Porcello, and Price all struggled in their first seasons in Boston. Of course, Price was 17-9 with a 3.99 ERA, which is hardly a monumental struggle, but it still wasn’t one of his better years. He also had the $31 million-a-year salary that was a bull’s-eye on his back. Any type of struggle was going to be magnified.

Matsuzaka came with plenty of promise. He won 15 games his first season, 18 games in 1999, then went south in a hurry. The Red Sox couldn’t wait to get rid of him because he never lived up to the hype. Beckett struggled in 2006 but then rebounded nicely in 2007 to help the Sox win the . Porcello had the worst season of his career in 2015 in his first season with Boston, and then won the Award last year.

Sale has had early-season success in recent times. A year ago in Chicago he won his first nine decisions with a 1.58 ERA, while opponents hit just .163 against him. He entered Wednesday night 14-4 with a 3.14 ERA in 22 career March/April starts. And he’d never lost his first start of any season (5-0, 2.08 ERA).

Sale entered Wednesday night averaging 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings in his career. The only other to average double digits are (10.6), Kerry Wood (10.3), and Pedro Martinez (10.0). Sale and Price have had the most complete games in the majors since 2012 (14).

Sale has the highest /walk ratio (4.78) in the live-ball era (minimum 1,000 innings). And only he and have struck out 200-plus batters in each of the last four seasons.

That’s how good Sale has been.

He also possesses toughness, similar to Beckett and Lackey and the departed , which makes him able to handle most situations. Sale’s intensity is off the charts. He loves to win. He was never truly in a winning situation with the White Sox, who had records above .500 only twice since Sale broke in with them in 2010.

Sale allowed only three hits. He allowed a single to in the second on a 3-and-2 pitch, but struck out Francisco Cervelli and Josh Harrison to escape the inning. Adam Frazier reached on an infield single in the third. In the fifth, Harrison singled off the left-field wall but was erased with an inning-ending double play grounder by Josh Bell.

It was powerful, economical, and efficient. The crowd loved him. Sale had it all in his first outing. For one start anyway, there was no Boston angst. But as Beckett, Matsuzaka, Porcello, and Price can attest, Sale isn’t out of the woods just yet.

Drew Pomeranz cleared to come off the DL

Peter Abraham

The Red Sox now have five healthy starting pitchers with lefthander cleared to come off the disabled list this weekend. The question now is how they will be lined up.

Pomeranz is eligible to be activated on Sunday in Detroit and the original plan was to have him start that game. But with the possibility of a rainout on Thursday, he could get pushed back a day.

“Everything points to him making a start in this upcoming series,” manager said. “The only thing that could affect the actual day is the weather.”

Pomeranz was placed on the disabled list with what the team said was a forearm strain. But he never was shut down from throwing and on Monday pitched six innings in a minor league intrasquad game at Fort Myers, Fla.

“The ball was coming out of my hand everything was moving like it should,” Pomeranz said. “I’m ready to go for this weekend.”

Pomeranz ended last season with a strained forearm and in October received an injection of stem cells to aid in healing. As a result, he was behind other pitchers in and appeared in only four Grapefruit League games.

That game on Monday helped him catch up.

“I’ve felt a lot better. I’ve made some good strides the last couple of weeks as far as building up arm strength. I feel like I’m in a good spot now,” Pomeranz said.

Pomeranz reported to on Wednesday and threw in the bullpen. He feels prepared to pitch at least six innings or get to 90 pitches in next start.

“I feel I’m ready to go out and do whatever I need to do,” Pomeranz said. “I feel normal for the beginning of the year; I feel great.”

The Red Sox and Pirates are scheduled to play the final game of the series on Thursday at 1:35 p.m. The forecast calls for steady rain from 1 through 7 p.m.

Waiting out the storm may not be feasible. The Sox have a 1:10 p.m. game at Detroit on Friday and the Pirates have their home opener at 1:05 p.m.

“It doesn’t look real promising at this point,” Farrell said.

If the game is postponed, the Sox may not necessarily move every starter up a day. They could use the off day to reconfigure the rotation.

If there is a rainout, it could be made up on April 13, a day off for both teams that does not run afoul of rules prohibiting more than 20 games in a row.

Not feeling well The Sox continue to get slammed by illness. Mookie Betts was out of the lineup with flu-like symptoms and Brock Holt was sent home for the same reason.

Lefthanded reliever Robbie Ross Jr. also is affected.

“We have a few tentative situations health-wise,” Farrell said. “We have a few guys we’re paying close attention to.”

Unlike other players and staff members who tested positive for the flu, Betts, Holt, and Ross were negative.

“We still have to let them get through their symptoms,” Farrell said.

The Sox had an air purifier installed in the middle of the clubhouse and some medical staff members were wearing surgical masks.

Price makes progress David Price played long toss before the game, then further tested his strained left elbow by getting on a bullpen mound for 25 throws.

Price did not throw to a catcher behind the plate; it was more playing catch. The idea was to start getting accustomed to the slope of the mound.

“The most encouraging thing is each throwing session he goes through he comes out feeling good physically,” Farrell said. “We’ll look to do the same [Thursday] with maybe a little bit more distance to [the] long toss.”

Dustin passes Dom played his 1,400th game, passing Dom DiMaggio for 11th in team history . . . played in his 1,000th game . . . Righthander Tyler Thornburg (shoulder impingement) will be checked on Thursday to determine whether he can start throwing. On March 28, the Sox said it would be a week before Thornburg would be evaluated. Thursday will be the 10th day since he was shut down . . . Marco Hernandez will play mostly third base and shortstop at Triple A Pawtucket with one game a week at second base. The PawSox open up on Thursday at Lehigh Valley . . . Betts (Gold Glove), (Silver Slugger), and Rick Porcello (Cy Young) were presented their 2016 awards before the game. Porcello also received a trophy from the MLB Players Association as the most outstanding pitcher in the . That award came with a $20,000 charitable grant that Porcello gave to Team Joseph, a Michigan-based nonprofit that funds research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Porcello has supported the organization since his days with the Tigers.

Pirates star Andrew McCutchen sees similarities with Mookie Betts

Julian Benbow

Between the daredevil in center field making effortless grabs and the unassuming superstar in right field breaking into baseball’s elite, Andrew McCutchen sees pieces of himself in Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts.

“Young black men, yeah definitely,” McCutchen said.

From afar, McCutchen has watched as Bradley has emerged as one of the best center fielders in baseball and Betts, who will not play Wednesday because of flu-like symptoms, has broken through as an MVP- caliber talent. McCutchen followed a different path.

“I’m sure both those guys have had to overcome some things, definitely,” McCutchen said. “Jackie having a little longer of a track record, I’ve been able to see him longer. He’s had to overcome some things, and he’s figured some things out. Now he’s doing a really good job for that team. He’s a guy that was a big part of their success.”

“Mookie on the other hand, he’s a guy that’s come up — had him in the infield, moved him to the outfield — so he’s had to make some adjustments as well. He’s very talented. I was able to see that last year, the numbers that he put up. Not a really big guy. Jackie Bradley either. Not big guys, but they can do a lot out there on the field of play. They play like they’re 6-4, 6-5 and that’s great to see. It’s great to see them out there doing what they’re doing. They’re a lot of fun.”

Betts’s star began to rise when he cracked the Sox major league roster in 2014, and it didn’t take long for comparisons between himself and McCutchen.

In 2015, connected the dots between Betts, then just 24, and McCutchen, who at the time was the reigning National League MVP and in the middle of a run of five straight All-Star appearances.

“I call him ‘Little Cutch,’ ” Victorino told Fox Sports at the time. “Watch him out there. His movements, everything, he’s like a little McCutchen.”

From their skill sets to their swings, the parallels are certainly apparent for McCutchen.

“He’s wiry, not the biggest guy, but he’s a guy that can develop a lot of power with his swing,” he said. “Really good backswing. I always look at his finish after the swing. It’s real similar to mine. He kind of jumps, spins and gets out of the box. So there are some similarities. And he’s a guy that can do a lot. Very fun to watch and great to be able to get out there on the field playing against him.”

Their ascents also came quickly. McCutchen was just 22 when he broke into the big leagues, 24 when he made his first All-Star game, and 25 when he finished third in the NL MVP voting. He was 26 when he won it. Betts played his first full season in the majors at 22, and the next season, he was an All-Star and finished second in the American League MVP balloting.

“It’s a process where, I know for him, I felt the same way when I was 21, I felt like I was ready,” McCutchen said. “So when I got here, it didn’t surprise me that I was up doing what I was doing. So for Mookie to be doing what he’s doing, I know he feels the same way. He knew what he could do before he got here. It’s fun to watch.”

McCutchen grew up idolizing such as and Ken Griffey Jr., making mental notes on the way they approached the game. Now, at 30, McCutchen a part of that lineage, watching a new wave of players follow his lead.

Before Opening Day, McCutchen and Betts exchanged numbers. McCutchen said they’ll stay in touch.

“It’s good,” McCutchen said. “You definitely have people looking for you to do something amazing.”

Pinpointing Chris Sale’s career turnaround

Alex Speier

Now comes the unveiling, the first opportunity to see Chris Sale pitching in a Red Sox uniform at Fenway Park, to marvel at the sprawl of limbs that precedes the unleashing of some of the most overpowering stuff in the majors. The novelty of one of the game’s best pitchers and the distinctiveness of how he delivers the ball will occupy the spotlight.

That delivery is the object of frustration to many a hitter, the foundation of Sale’s dominance. Yet for the pitcher, it is also something more: It represents the pivot point that saved his career.

In the summer of 2008, a skinny-as-a-rail Sale – then listed at 6-foot-6 and 172 pounds – followed his freshman year at Florida Gulf Coast University by joining the La Crosse (Wisc.) Loggers of the Northwoods League. At the time, he worked from a relatively conventional three-quarters arm slot. His stuff was entirely pedestrian.

“You don’t know he’s going to become one of the best pitchers in the big leagues,” recalled Derek Tate, Sale’s pitching that summer in La Crosse. “He was just one of the 15 or 16 pitchers we had on our staff that summer. He’s another guy in the group that you’re trying to help, and you’re trying to teach them to forget about some of the poor outings, to learn from them, put the work in, and move on.”

Tate, who was hired by the end of that summer to be FGCU pitching coach, where he continued working with Sale in his sophomore and junior year, recalled Sale working at just 82-83 miles per hour with little stamina for a reliever’s workload. Frustration mounted to the point that the lefthander considered giving up.

“He couldn’t pick up a baseball and throw an inning without the next day not being able to touch a baseball. He was so stiff. His body just wasn’t in throwing shape. He’d never gone through the regimen that a college athlete goes through to prepare themselves to be out there on a regular basis,” said Tate. “He was pitching middle relief innings for us the first half of that summer. He was actually struggling to find results. There was even a day in the middle of that summer where he came to me before the game. He was so frustrated, he said, ‘Coach, I almost drove home last night.’

“We’re in Wisconsin. I looked at him and said, ‘Don’t you live in Florida?’ He said, ‘Yeah.’ I said, ‘It’s a long drive, man. Why don’t you stick around for a day or two and try to figure this out.’”

Thus began a transformative period of a couple of weeks in which Sale didn’t pitch in games. Instead, during a period when he worked on building his strength and flexibility to improve his durability, the lefthander also proved open-minded to a fairly radical change in his delivery.

“I wasn’t doing very well with what I was doing at the time. I had to change something up,” said Sale. “One of my teammates in the summer league had done it and had some success. I said, ‘Hey, let’s give it a whirl and see what we’ve got.’”

Sale found comfort in a low three-quarters arm slot almost immediately, particularly with his and changeup command. His slider proved more inconsistent, but once every handful of pitches, Tate recalled, he’d spin a beauty that served as a harbinger of the unhittable he now features. Meanwhile, his strength gains and newfound understanding of a need for a between-outings routine permitted him to build arm strength, velocity, and stamina.

When Sale returned to the mound, he started to take on a growing workload – first out of the bullpen, then eventually in the La Crosse rotation. He looked and acted like a different pitcher, one with a clearer sense of possibility in front of him.

“You’d see a little bit of inconsistency with the command and velocity, but you’d see it improving from one outing to the next. His confidence was attached to it,” said Tate. “By the end of that summer, his confidence was really starting to pick up some steam. When we went back to school that fall, he was starting to think about himself in a different way. You could see that the way he carried himself had completely changed.”

He found the delivery that would permit him to succeed, and when he returned to FGCU in the fall, Sale’s work in the weight room allowed him to build velocity seemingly every week.

“Everything changed for him in a great way,” said Tate.

Sale emerged in his sophomore year as a standout in the FGCU rotation, and by his junior year, he was the best college pitcher in the country, status that resulted in his first-round selection by the White Sox and a fast track to the big leagues in less than two months. He has known only dominance since that summer of 2008, emerging as one of the most prized pitchers in the game and convincing the Red Sox to place an enormous bet on his potential as a difference-maker in the pursuit of a title.

It is for that reason that Sale will tower when he takes the mound in a Red Sox uniform Wednesday night. But his place there would not have been possible but for a challenging summer that nearly convinced him to quit as a 19-year-old.

“Any time you can struggle and figure out who you are and what you’re doing – not just baseball but in general, everything – I think you figure out more when you struggle than when you have success,” said Sale. “That was important to me.”

So was the decision to stay in La Crosse. It would appear that Sale made the right decision in doing so.

“For now,” he smiled.

* The

Chris Sale comes as advertised for the Red Sox

Chad Jennings

In between pitches, Xander Bogaerts tucked his throwing hand into his back pocket to keep warm. At third base, Pablo Sandoval covered his ears and mouth with cold-weather gear. By the ninth inning, could see his breath on the mound.

Chris Sale went out there with short sleeves.

Of course, there will be colder games at Fenway Park, but 40 degrees at first pitch last night was a lot colder than any of those spring training affairs, and Sale looked just as comfortable as he’d been in the Florida sunshine.

That was his first impression on a fan base that’s been let down before. Sale arrived with such credentials that he can be questioned only by pointing out he’s never pitched in a situation quite like this.

Well, did he look comfortable to you?

“I get nervous before every game,” Sale said. “Tonight was a little bit different (because) obviously it’s my first time pitching here in the home whites. Running out of the first base dugout is pretty awesome. It was special. I appreciated it, too. I tried to go through my routine and do everything I normally do but also soak it all in.”

Sale was long gone by the time the Red Sox offense finally thawed and catcher Sandy Leon hit his walkoff home run in the 12th inning for a 3-0 win, but even in the postgame euphoria, the lefty’s debut was impossible to forget.

In the grand scheme of things, it was the best part of the night, when the new guy was no different than when his Sox were White.

Sale’s first pitch was a 96-mph fastball for strike one. His first strikeout came on a slider that finished on the chalk behind Starling Marte’s right foot. His first runner in scoring position will have to wait because no one made it that far.

Seven scoreless innings with seven strikeouts, one walk and three hits, only one of which was hit particularly hard. And by Sale’s standards, none of that was exceptional.

Which is exactly the point.

Sale was the same as his White Sox version. No more, no less. Go ahead, do a Google image search for Sale in long sleeves on those cold Chicago nights. I found only one, and it was from 2011.

If you don’t like wearing sleeves, don’t wear them. If a 96-mph fastball will do the trick, don’t try to throw 97. If, at 28, you’re already established as one of the game’s elite pitchers, don’t try to do more just because a World Series is possible.

“You love the way Chris Sale goes about his work,” manager John Farrell said. “The tempo in which he keeps. The attack of the strike zone. Three quality pitches for strikes tonight. He had very good stuff. I’m not going to say he wasn’t challenged because they put up some quality at-bats, but he was able to minimize any baserunners.”

When Josh Harrison smashed a single off the Green Monster — the Pirates’ hardest-hit ball of the night — Sale went to a two-seam fastball on his next pitch for a 4-6-3 double play.

While the slider was his favorite put-away pitch, Sale also showed a willingness to use his mid-80s changeup — his third-best pitch — not only to set up at-bats but also to finish.

And when his night was done, Sale stood in the middle of the clubhouse, surrounded by new teammates, and dished the credit.

“Good defense and a hell of a catcher behind the plate,” he explained.

Of course, it was more than that.

At times, Sale’s slider looked impossible to hit. The Pirates ranked sixth in the majors in OPS against lefties last season, and their lineup didn’t change much this offseason, but they looked overmatched.

Sale looked anything but overwhelmed.

David Price in 2016. Rick Porcello and Wade Miley in 2015. Jake Peavy in 2014. Ryan Dempster in 2013. This fan base has been conditioned for skepticism when it comes to high-profile pitchers opening a season in Boston for the first time.

Sale came at a high price, with even higher expectations. He got a standing ovation when he was introduced Opening Day, and two days later, he earned the fans’ faith all over again.

“Walking out for Opening Day was awesome,” he said. “That’s a feeling I’ll never forget. I’m very appreciative of that. I know that’s not easy to come by. Walking out to the bullpen today before I even threw my first warmup pitch, people were losing their minds. Walking off in the seventh inning, that’s another feeling I’ll never forget.

“That’s special. That’s awesome. And I appreciate it.”

Eduardo Rodriguez ready to spring into action for 2017 season

Rich Thompson

A component of John Farrell’s mission in spring training was to make Eduardo Rodriguez a more complete .

The Red Sox manager said he was satisfied by the sampling he got from Rodriguez in six Grapefruit League appearances. The left-hander will get the first test of his third season in the organization when he faces the Pittsburgh Pirates in the series finale this afternoon (weather permitting) at Fenway Park.

“He’s primed and ready to go,” Farrell said. “I thought there were a number of outings in spring training where he was not only overly powerful but with an improved slider and a more defined pitch where it gives him three defined pitches.

“It gives him a little bit more depth to the pitch and from a health standpoint he’s ready to go.”

Rodriguez showed signs of brilliance in his two previous seasons but it wasn’t enough to remain in the rotation that was constantly being upgraded by president of baseball operations .

“I feel ready to pitch and I can’t wait,” Rodriguez said. “I worked really good in spring training to get ready and I feel like all my pitches are ready and everything is 100 percent.”

Rodriguez went 10-6 with a 3.85 ERA over 21 starts and 1212⁄3 innings as a rookie. He began 2016 on the disabled list with a knee injury and missed the first 51 games but made 20 starts and went 3-7 with a 4.70 ERA. The one element of Rodriguez’ repertoire that remained constant through the ups and downs was his ability to locate the fastball.

“When I have command of the fastball and I’m working both sides that opens the door to use my changeup, two-seamer and slider,” Rodriguez said. “That is how it is in every respect, when you have your fastball you can play with the other pitches.”

Rodriguez enjoyed smooth sailing in five of his six appearances in spring training. His only rough patch was a six-inning effort against the when he gave up six runs (four earned) on nine hits, with three strikeouts and a walk.

Rodriguez is at his best when he gets through the sixth inning. In his previous two seasons with the Sox, he went 12-2 with a 1.81 ERA when he pitched at least six innings.

“He looks good and he’s good pitcher and once he gets ahead in the count in a game, that’s when he’s really good,” said catcher Sandy Leon. “His fastball is a great pitch and when he spots it in and out he’s the best. He can use it with his change and slider. He is a great kid and I think he can have a really good season. He worked hard this spring and he pitched every game like it was the last game of the season.”

Rodriguez has taken David Price’s slot in the starting rotation.

Drew Pomeranz set to start on Sunday, but rainout today could change those plans

Jason Mastrodonato

Drew Pomeranz says he’s ready to face major league hitters. Even if that didn’t go so well in spring training.

Pomeranz is likely to make his season debut for the Red Sox on Sunday on the road against the , manager John Farrell said before last night’s game.Pomeranz began the year on the 10-day disabled list with a forearm strain and is eligible to be activated on Sunday. Farrell was originally unsure if Pomeranz would be ready, since his velocity was down all spring and he wasn’t particularly effective.

“I feel about normal for the beginning of the year,” Pomeranz said. “I feel great. I’ve got 90 pitches in, I feel that’s what most people did the last start anyway, so I feel I’m right where I need to be.”

The Red Sox could change their rotation if today’s series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates is rained out. The weather forecast doesn’t look promising, Farrell said, and the Sox would consider shuffling the rotation around if there is a rainout. The original plan is to have Eduardo Rodriguez pitch today, Steven Wright pitch tomorrow, Rick Porcello on Saturday and Pomeranz on Sunday.

What should the Red Sox expect from Pomeranz after he allowed 11 earned runs in 12 innings with seven walks and eight strikeouts in the Grapefruit League? He’s been unpredictable. He couldn’t locate at all for the first two innings of one start against the Blue Jays, then looked dominant for his final two innings.

The Red Sox went down to the wire with Pomeranz, making him prove he was ready in a final minor league tune-up on Monday in Fort Myers.

“I had a good one on Monday,” Pomeranz said. “Ball was coming out of my hand, everything was moving like it should. I’m ready to go for this weekend.”

If it wasn’t Pomeranz, the Sox were going to try 32-year-old . Instead, Pomeranz will get a chance to impress a team that saw him pitch to a disappointing 4.59 ERA after acquiring him from the last year.

Should the Red Sox need a spot starter early in the season, Farrell said Kendrick, who pitched well this spring, is at the top of the call-up pecking order, ahead of both Brian Johnson and Henry Owens.

Bug bites Betts

Mitch Moreland missing a few exhibition games was one thing. Mookie Betts missing the second game of the regular season is something else.

It seems this flu bug is starting to be a real problem, at least for one night.

Betts was out of the Sox lineup last night. Farrell said Betts, utility infielder Brock Holt and left-handed reliever Robbie Ross Jr. are each dealing with flu-like symptoms, though tests for the flu itself have come back negative.

The loss of Betts is the most serious blow from an illness that’s been bouncing around the Red Sox clubhouse since the end of spring training.

“We still have to let them get through their symptoms before we get back to active play,” said Farrell.

Holt’s symptoms were significant enough that he was sent home. Farrell indicated that Betts and Ross were not available.

“We’ve got a few guys that we’re paying close attention to,” he said. “Whether or not they’re available tonight remains to be seen, but at the outset, particularly Mookie is not.”

Chris Young was in right field in Betts’ place. Xander Bogaerts was moved to No. 3 in the lineup.

Out of spring training, it seemed Moreland might miss a few games because of the illness, but he recovered from the flu in time to play on Opening Day. He hasn’t missed any time yet.

Price on road back

Rehab work continues for starting pitcher David Price. He again did longtoss at 100-plus feet, and he finished the throwing session by getting on a mound for 25 throws. It’s important to note that Price was not pitching to a crouching catcher. He simply played catch off the mound to get a feel for the slope again.

“The most encouraging thing is each throwing session he goes through, he comes out feeling good physically,” Farrell said. “And we’ll look to do the same tomorrow, maybe a little bit more distance on the longtoss.”

This was Price’s first time on the mound since his elbow injury in spring training. He will travel with the team to Detroit for the upcoming series.

Thorny situation

Reliever Tyler Thornburg’s latest medical tests will be today.

“We’ll determine tomorrow after he goes through a battery of tests in the weight room and in the training room whether it’s the time to put a ball in his hand or there’s further strengthening needed,” Farrell said.

Joe Kelly was supposed to fill in as the eighth-inning guy in Thornburg’s absence, but he is being held in a middle-relief role for now due to the poor command he displayed at the end of spring training, Farrell said.

Kelly was the sixth and final pitcher to be used last night, throwing two scoreless innings in the 11th and 12th to get the win.

“I feel good,” Kelly said. “I’m not exactly where I want to be yet, but hopefully here in the next couple outings I’ll be exactly there mechanically. , I got that going back for a strike, so if I keep doing that, I’ll take wherever I pitch.” . . .

Last night was Dustin Pedroia’s 1,400th career game, moving him ahead of Dom DiMaggio for the 11th- most games in franchise history.

After Chris Sale dazzles in Red Sox debut, Sandy Leon beats Pirates with walkoff homer in 12th

Jason Mastrodonato

Chris Sale’s first career start for the Red Sox was a gem.

The Red Sox clearly have their ace, the pitcher they can count on in 40-degree weather early in the season against a National League team, when runs are particularly hard to come by. His new club needed every one of Sale’s seven scoreless innings and then some, finally scoring in the 12th when Sandy Leon launched a three-run homer over the Green Monster for a 3-0 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“I felt good, I felt confident,” Sale said. “I felt like I was able to throw all my pitches for strikes. Not only that but ahead in the count, behind in the count, offspeed stuff. Credit goes to Sandy though. (The catcher) was the one calling the pitches, I was just the one throwing them. When you can have confidence in the guy behind the plate like that, it’s huge.

“Just watching him hit that home run, that was fun.”

The Red Sox have played 21 innings this season but scored in just two of those frames.

Leon’s homer helped him forget about his crucial mistake in the third inning, when he was thrown out at the plate with two outs on a single to right field by Dustin Pedroia. Third base coach Brian Butterfield put on the stop sign, but Leon had already crossed the bag.

“I didn’t see Butter,” Leon said. “I just kept running. It was my fault.”

It was also his fault the Red Sox won. The switch-hitter took a pretty swing from the right side on a 92-mph fastball left over the heart of the plate by lefty reliever Antonio Bastardo.

“I’m not a home run hitter, so I was just trying to get a good pitch to hit,” Leon said. “I was just trying to keep it simple and get a base hit so Jackie (Bradley Jr.) could score (from third). The pitch was right in the middle so I put a good swing on it and it was a homer.”

Playing without No. 3 hitter Mookie Betts and utility man Brock Holt, who were out with flu-like symptoms, the Red Sox badly needed the big hit from Leon (3-for-5). As a team, the Sox went 8-for-39, including a disastrous trifecta of at-bats in the fifth inning, when they put runners on the corners with nobody and came up empty.

The Pirates did even less, ending the game without ever putting a runner on second base. Sale had a lot to do with that.

With a remarkable presence on the Fenway Park mound, Sale started off his Red Sox career with a 96-mph fastball for a called strike. He struck out the second batter, Starling Marte, on a sharp slider, his signature pitch. In the second inning, he struck out two — Francisco Cervelli on an 86-mph changeup and Josh Harrison on an eye-level 96-mph fastball.

“He was nasty,” Leon said. “It’s really fun to catch him.”

The Pirates scraped together just three singles against Sale and struck out seven times, including five on the slider.

“First pitch of spring training was 97 (mph),” manager John Farrell said. “He really settles in comfortably at that 92, 93 range where he’s got such great separation between all three pitches and that sweeping slider that he can keep away from right-handers, he can go back foot to them as well.

“He was in command tonight.”

On his 104th and final pitch, Sale induced a flyout and the crowd sent him into the dugout to a loud ovation.

“That’s another feeling I’ll never forget,” Sale said. “That’s special. That’s awesome. And I appreciate it.”

Matt Barnes came on for the eighth in relief of Sale, then Farrell went to Craig Kimbrel, , Robby Scott and over the final four innings.

“Obviously I didn’t sign up for 12 but it was nice to get the win,” Sale said. “All the better having your catcher go out there and walk it off. That’s special.”

* The Providence Journal

Red Sox 3, Pirates 0: Chris Sale, Sandy Leon star in walk-off win

Tim Britton

BOSTON — The bar for Fenway debuts is higher than the Green Monster. Pedro Martinez shut out the Mariners in ’98. went the distance over nine in ’96, did it for 10 in ’95. threw an honest-to-goodness no-hitter 16 years ago this week.

Chris Sale did not throw a no-hitter, and he didn’t complete his first start with the Red Sox. But Sale and battery-mate Sandy Leon conspired to make a frigid Wednesday night as memorable as possible in a 3-0 walk-off Boston win.

It was Leon who sent the fans home happy after nearly four hours, his 12th-inning three-run homer his third hit of the night and the first game-ending knock of his career.

Leon’s blast followed consecutive walks by Antonio Bastardo to Jackie Bradley, Jr. and Pablo Sandoval.

With apologies to Rick Porcello Bobblehead Night, it was Sale who drew the fans to Fenway in the first place — his Red Sox debut the reason 36,137 packed the park on a night more appropriate for a postseason Pats-Steelers game in Foxboro. Pitching in short sleeves despite the 40-degree temperature at first pitch, Sale shut Pittsburgh out over seven innings, allowing just three hits while striking out seven. No Pirate touched second base against him. No Pirate touched second base all night, for that matter.

“He was nasty,” Leon said. “It’s really fun to catch him.”

“You’ve got to love the way Chris Sale goes about his work,” said manager John Farrell.

If you want to know what makes Sale so good, look no further than his Wednesday night encounters with Pittsburgh’s best hitter, Starling Marte. In three at-bats, Sale made Marte look like a younger brother patronizingly toyed with in the backyard.

Marte was left shaking his head after swinging at a vicious slider for strike three in the first. His next time up, Marte zealously chased a first-pitch changeup away — justifiably, because who would want to see another two-strike slider? After he fouled off another changeup, Sale finished him off again with a down- and-in slider. By the time Marte rolled over a fastball for an easy 6-3 groundout in the sixth, contact felt like a success.

At no point was Sale stressed. He allowed one-out singles in the second, third and fifth and a two-out walk in the seventh. He was aided by his defense in the fifth, when smoothly played Josh Harrison’s liner off the Monster for a single. Sale paid it off with a 4-6-3 double play on the next pitch to Josh Bell.

Asked what was working for him on the night, Sale responded, “Good defense and a hell of a catcher.”

Harrison’s line drive was the hardest-hit ball, and the only time a Boston outfielder turned his back to home plate with Sale on the hill.

(Perhaps Sale’s most endearing moment came in the seventh, when after his two-out walk to David Freese he snapped at the return throw from the catcher with his barehand in anger.)

“I get nervous before every game. Tonight was a little bit different obviously,” Sale said. “It was special. I tried to go through my routine and do everything I normally do but also soak it all in at the same time.”

And Boston needed every bit of that from Sale, considering its bats have operated on a volcanic principle through the first two games — explosions surrounded by long periods of dormancy. On Monday, the Sox scored all five of their runs with two outs in the fifth. On Wednesday, they got the three they needed in the 12th.

Leon had three of Boston’s eight hits. The catcher who finished last season so poorly at the plate has five hits through two games.

Sandy Leon again getting hot at the right time

Tim Britton

BOSTON — Sandy Leon wasn’t even supposed to make it this far as Boston’s starting catcher.

Leon’s out-of-nowhere offensive success a summer ago was a cute story. However, the manner in which he flatlined down the stretch of the season and into the early part of spring made it relatively obvious that 2016 was a small-sample aberration. Leon’s offensive flash was just that, and not the kind of sustainable production that alters long-term blueprints.

Christian Vazquez would be the starting catcher for the Red Sox, if not by Opening Day then shortly thereafter.

Through two games — and yes, we acknowledge the triviality of this sample size, as well — Leon has fought against that seeming inevitability, emerging as Boston’s main offensive hero. He’s operated at the heart of the only two innings in which the Red Sox have scored to this point, and his three-run homer in Wednesday’s 12th inning capped an evening of offensive futility that manager John Farrell admittedly feared could last “15 or 16” innings.

Leon has five hits through two games for a team that has only 18 total. He has half of Boston’s four extra- base hits.

“You saw the quality at-bats in the last seven to 10 days of spring training starting to become crisper, and it’s certainly taken another step here in the first couple of days,” Farrell said Wednesday night.

Leon’s five hits include a bunt single against the shift and a soft bloop the other way — further reason to doubt his sustainability. Of course, Leon’s consistent ability to turn soft contact into hits has flummoxed the early acolytes of exit velocity since last summer, when it suggested he was having a lucky week, and then a lucky month and finally a lucky season.

(The five other players who posted the same exit velocity as Leon in 2016 — 86.8 mph — combined to hit .294 on balls in play. Leon hit .392.)

Leon’s penchant for luck — his bloop on Wednesday left his bat at 71 mph — could be enough to keep Vazquez at bay for longer than expected. The switch-hitter has more consistent pop than Vazquez to begin with, as evidenced by his game-winner Wednesday night -- and by his two-homer inning the final week of spring training that included long balls from each side of the dish.

Because there’s one other underrated part of Leon’s game: how much pitchers like throwing to him.

As catching metrics have evolved, it’s become easier to spot value in previously unquantifiable areas. Vazquez embodies most of what we know constitutes a good defensive catcher. His arm is there for every scout to see, and his framing numbers satisfy the quants.

But we don’t yet know tangibly how much of an impact Leon’s game-calling and in-game demeanor can have for a pitcher.

Take this on Wednesday night from Sale, a pitcher who concedes that he rarely shakes off a catcher: “I was just leaning on Sandy, basically doing whatever he told me to do, and it ended up working out.... When you can have confidence in the guy behind the plate like that, it’s huge.”

Bullpen coach Dana LeVangie, who also serves as the catching instructor, brought up Leon’s demeanor unprompted in a conversation about Dustin Pedroia’s day-to-day consistency.

“No matter the moment, the pitch, the result, it’s the same guy every day,” LeVangie said of Leon. “You give up a big homer, give me the ball and throw it back. ‘Let’s go, next pitch.’

“There’s no emotions, and that’s what you want to see from a catcher back there. You don’t want that guy panicking or putting his head down after a home run. You can’t have that. The next pitch is really important.”

“That helps the pitcher to get confident,” Leon said. “You’re just trying to relate, and when something happens like a home run, I’m just trying to stay calm. If I have to say something, I’ll say something positive: ‘Keep working, get the next guy.’”

Perhaps the gap between Vazquez’s defensive value and Leon’s is less than we naturally assume, and thus Leon’s offensive advantage — however inexplicable — remains decisive.

Vazquez took over for as Boston’s regular catcher by the second week of last season. Leon sure looks primed to make him wait longer this time around.

Red Sox, Pirates showcase two of baseball’s best defensive outfields

Brian MacPherson

BOSTON -- had his heart in his throat as he turned around. He’d left a fastball over the middle and yielded a rocket of a line drive to Starling Marte with the bases loaded in Monday’s seventh inning. He knew his only chance of salvation was in the person of left fielder Andrew Benintendi.

“I was hoping it was at Benny,” Barnes said later.

It wasn’t at Benny. It was, however, within the range of the center fielder-turned-left fielder, and a quick sprint and a leap by Benintendi yielded an out that allowed Barnes to salvage what had been a rocky inning.

Pittsburgh’s Jameson Taillon knows the feeling. He can still remember the deep fly ball to right-center field New York’s Yoenis Cespedes hit off him in his big-league debut last June, a fly ball that Taillon thought off the bat was a sure double but wound up as a routine catch by Andrew McCutchen.

“I was like, ‘That ball is probably not caught in Triple-A,’” he said.

McCutchen is the elder statesman of a Pittsburgh outfield that also features Gold Glove winner Starling Marte and budding star Gregory Polanco. Benintendi is the young pup of a Boston outfield that also features Gold Glove winner Mookie Betts and transcendent defender Jackie Bradley Jr. This week’s season-opening series between the Pirates and the Red Sox is a showcase of perhaps the two best defensive outfields in the game -- an aspect of increasing importance at a time when hitters are emphasizing fly-ball swing paths like never before.

“Whenever there’s a ball hit in the air, those guys are special,” Taillon said. “You’re looking at three guys that have closing speed. There’ll be balls in the air where I’m like, ‘OK, which base should I go back up?’, and then, out of nowhere, Polanco glides under the ball with his long strides.”

“If the ball has got a hump in it,” Pirates manager said, “we believe it should come down in leather.”

By Defensive Runs Saved, Betts and Marte were two of the five best defensive outfielders in last season -- plus-32 and plus-17, respectively.

Betts is a second baseman-turned-center fielder-turned right fielder, having given way to the defensively superior Bradley. (Bradley was a plus-11 defender in center field, a position with a higher baseline standard than right field.) Benintendi is a natural center fielder who had little choice but to move to left field to get to the major leagues, with Betts and Bradley entrenched at the other two spots.

Marte is a natural center fielder who moved to left field when he got to the majors to accommodate the veteran McCutchen. He’s back in center field this season, as advanced metrics that suggest McCutchen has faded prompted a radical realignment. McCutchen will be in right field this season with Polanco moving to left field.

However they’re aligned, those outfielders give their pitchers opportunities to make mistakes and yield hard contact and get away with them.

As has been the case in other aspects of the game -- pitch framing, just as one example -- Pittsburgh was ahead of its time in the way it amassed such talent in its outfield.

Nobody talked about the concept of launch angle -- a swing path that optimizes the chance of hitting for power -- when Marte, McCutchen and Polanco first took the field together in 2014. The years since have seen hitters like and Daniel Murphy emphasize hitting fly balls over ground balls. The big- league fly-ball rate had dropped steadily for 10 years before ticking back upward last season.

Hurdle himself took up a fly-ball mantra with his hitters this spring: “Your OPS is in the air.”

To Hurdle, the best way to counteract hitters trying to elevate the ball is to deploy pitchers who can keep the ball on the ground. Taillon is just that kind of pitcher; his ground-ball-to-fly-ball ratio last season (1.92) ranked 17th among pitchers with at least 100 innings pitched last season. He was just behind Ivan Nova, who the Pirates acquired from the last August and then signed back as a free agent.

But not every pitcher can generate ground balls as often as Taillon and Nova can -- not Pirates ace , not Red Sox aces Rick Porcello, David Price or Chris Sale. That’s when outfield defense becomes especially important.

And with the evolution of pitching from east-west to north-south, pitchers working the top of the strike zone like they haven’t in a generation or more, even ground-ball pitchers need to be bailed out by their outfielders on occasion.

“For so many years, everything was preached downhill-and-down, pitching down under the zone,” Taillon said. “Now we’re going with spin rate and up, fastballs up and then down. The game is always changing, and we’re always chasing the rabbit to figure out what’s next. My best on their best, I still think I can put guys on the ground. But these hitters are so good, they’ll put balls in the air that I want them to put on the ground.”

* The Springfield Republican

Chris Sale lives up to expectations and then some in his Red Sox debut

Jen McCaffrey

BOSTON - It's not often that expectations meet reality.

On Wednesday night, Chris Sale bucked the trend.

The new Red Sox lefty dazzled on the mound for the Red Sox, firing seven scoreless innings against the Pirates. He had to wait another five innings in frigid temperatures for his teammates to pull off the 3-0 walk-off win, but for Sale it was worth it.

"Any win is huge," Sale said. "The ones at the beginning of the season count just as much as late in the season."

Sale deftly employed his three-pitch mix through his seven frames, allowing just three hits and a walk while never allowing a runner past first.

He recorded seven strikeouts, at least one in each of the first six innings, and induced 14 swinging strikes.

"He was nasty," catcher Sandy Leon said. "It's really fun to catch him. He was mixing every pitch, he was getting ahead in the count."

Sale erased a second-inning, one-out single to right with back-to-back strikeouts. In the third, he allowed another one-out single but got a fly out and strikeout. And then in the fifth, another one-out single was erased when he got the next batter to ground into a double play.

"You love the way Chris Sale goes about his work," manager John Farrell said. "The tempo in which he keeps. The attack of the strike zone. Three quality pitches for strikes tonight. He had very good stuff. I'm not going to say he wasn't challenged because they put up some quality at-bats but he was able to minimize any baserunners and the guys that came in behind him, they too did their job extremely well."

Sale left the mound in the seventh (after 104 pitches, 69 for strikes) to a standing ovation.

"Walking out to the bullpen today before I even threw my first warmup pitch, people were losing their minds," he said. "Walking off in the seventh inning, that's another feeling I'll never forget. That's special. That's awesome. And I appreciate it."

Sale credited his success on the night to Leon, whose three-run homer proved the difference in the game.

"I felt like I was able to throw all my pitches for strikes," Sale said. "Not only that but ahead in the count, behind in the count, off-speed stuff. Credit goes to Sandy though. He was the one calling the pitches, I was just the one throwing them. When you can have confidence in the guy behind the plate like that, it's huge."

For one start at least, expectations of Boston's newest big name starter lived up to their billing.

Joe Kelly, Red Sox bullpen toss five scoreless innings to preserve win for Red Sox

Jen McCaffrey

BOSTON - Just a few hours after manager John Farrell said he needed to see more out of Joe Kelly in order to put the reliever in higher leverage situations, Kelly delivered.

The right-hander tossed the final two scoreless frames in an eventual 3-0 walk-off win in the 12th on Wednesday night.

Chris Sale's electric outing of seven scoreless innings was just the start of the pristine pitching performance for the Red Sox.

Matt Barnes, Craig Kimbrel, Heath Hembree, Robby Scott and Kelly followed Sale to the mound holding the Pirates scoreless from the eighth through the 12th. Sandy Leon's three-run homer in the bottom of the 12th gave Boston the win.

For his part, Kelly tossed the 11th and 12th, holding the Pirates toa singles, but not without a terrific sliding catch from Jackie Bradley Jr.

"Mechanics are getting better but ball's coming out of the hand good and my secondary pitches are getting a little bit more crisp," Kelly said.

Before Wednesday's game Farrell said Kelly needed to work on his command to win the eighth inning role while Tyler Thornburg is on the disabled list.

Kelly allowed eight walks while striking out nine batters in 9 2/3 innings this spring.

Kelly allowed a two-out single in the 11th, but got an infield pop out to end the threat. In the 12th, Gregory Polanco led off the inning with a shot to shallow left center that seemed destined to fall and put the leadoff man on. But Bradley, as he's done so many times before, making a fantastic sliding catch to a hit.

"It was Polanco who hit that ball and that guy runs like a deer, so off the bat I was assuming it would be a double if he sprinted out of the box and that ball falls," Kelly said.

Kelly retired the next two batters before giving way to the offense to do the rest.

Though the competitor in him likely wants the eighth-inning role, he understands the process.

"Like I said there are so many guys in the pen that can pretty much do any kind of role," he said. "You've got more guys now because of injuries and stuff. No complaining when everyone is throwing the ball well. If we can do that 90 percent of the time throughout the year we'll have a really good season as a bullpen and as a team as a whole."

He finished the night with 27 pitches, 17 for strikes and showed much better command, gaining the praise of his manager.

"He was sharp tonight and at a time we needed it," Farrell said. "Big time stuff, velocity, good breaking ball, he gave us two quality innings of work to piece things together."

Sandy Leon's game-winning HR atoned for running through stop sign nine innings earlier

Christopher Smith

BOSTON -- Red Sox catcher Sandy Leon doubled with two outs in third inning, then tried to score on Dustin Pedroia's sharp single to right field.

He ran right through third base coach Brian Butterfield's stop sign and Pirates right fielder Andrew McCutchen threw him out easily by a couple of feet.

"I didn't see Butter," Leon said. "I just (kept) running. It was my fault."

Leon atoned for his mistake nine innings later.

With runners at first and second base and one out in the bottom of the 12th inning, Leon blasted a three-run walkoff homer over the Green Monster.

The Red Sox won 3-0 over the Pirates in front of 36,137 here at Fenway Park.

Longtime WBZ reporter Jonny Miller commented to Leon about running through Butterfield's stop sign, "You can laugh at it now."

"Yes, of course because we win, yeah," Leon said, smiling.

The switch-hitter, who was batting from the right side, connected on a 91.9 mph fastball from left-handed reliever Antonio Bastardo.

"I'm not a home run hitter so I was just trying to get a good pitch to hit, just trying to keep it simple, just get a base hit so Jackie (Bradley Jr.) can score," Leon said. "But the pitch was right in the middle. So I put a good swing on it and it was a homer."

A major question heading into 2017: Was Leon's 2016 success a one-year aberration or the new norm?

He batted just .238 in 612 minor league games.

But the 28-year-old catcher hit .310 with a .369 on-base percentage, .476 slugging percentage, .845 OPS, seven homers, 17 doubles, two triples and 35 RBIs in 78 games (283 plate appearances) for Boston during 2016.

Leon's stats dipped during the final month last year (.213/.286/.253/.539) but perhaps that was fatigue that set in.

He has started 2017 red hot. He's 5-for-8 with one homer and one double.

"You saw the quality at-bats (for Leon) in the last seven to 10 games of spring training starting to become more crisp," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. "And it's certainly taken another step here in the first couple of days."

Joe Kelly added about Leon, "He's great behind the plate. Calls a good game, catches and throws really well. From last year to now, through spring training, he's just got that confidence going for him, mixed with a good approach and good swing mechanics. Staying consistent with his swings and picking good hitters' counts to take a little more risk in and getting base hits, slugging. He's pretty fun to watch."

Matt Barnes to miss next Red Sox three games to attend grandmother's funeral

Jen McCaffrey

BOSTON - An already depleted Red Sox staff will be without reliever Matt Barnes for the next three days.

Barnes will be attending funeral service for the death of his grandmother.

The righty relieved Chris Sale on Wednessday and preserved the scoreless game with a 1-2-3 eighth inning.

The Red Sox were without Robbie Ross Jr. on Wednesday as he recovers from the flu.

If Barnes is placed on MLB's bereavement list, the club can add another reliever from its 40-man roster. The reliever options include Noe Ramirez, Kyle Martin or .

WEEI.com's Rob Bradford was the first to report the news.

Sandy Leon crushes walkoff homer to lead to win in Chris Sale's debut

Christopher Smith

BOSTON -- Sandy Leon crushed it.

The Red Sox catcher blasted his first ever game-winning walkoff home run, a three-run blast over the Green Monster in the 12th inning to lift the Red Sox to a 3-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates here at Fenway Park.

It also marked his first ever game-winning RBI.

Chris Sale dominated in his Red Sox debut, throwing 7 scoreless innings. The left-handed ace allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out seven.

But Pirates starter Jameson Taillon, a 25-year-old righty who Pittsburgh selected second overall in the 2010 draft, also hurled 7 scoreless innings.

The game went to both bullpens to decide and remained scoreless entering the bottom of the 12th.

Jackie Bradley Jr. walked with one out in the 12th inning and stole second.

Bradley left a little too early for second and reliever Antonio Bastardo threw over to first, but first baseman John Jaso's throw to second base bounced and Bradley made in safely.

Pablo Sandoval then walked to put two runners on base with one out. Leon then launched his game- winning home run.

Sale lives up to the hype in his first start

As MassLive.com's Jen McCaffrey noted in a wrap-up article on Sale's debuted, the lefty got 14 swings and misses. Six of his seven strikeouts were swinging -- four on sliders, one with a 96 mph fastball and one on a changeup.

He induced five groundouts and five flyouts. He threw 104 pitches, 69 for strikes (66 percent strikes).

Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski acquired Sale on Dec. 6 from the White Sox for top prospects , Michael Kopech and Luis Alexander Basabe as well as midlevel prospect Victor Diaz.

Fifth inning squander

Chris Young walked on a 3-1 pitch to lead off the fifth inning. Jackie Bradley Jr. then singled to right field to put runners at first and third with no outs.

Pablo Sandoval and Sandy Leon, the next two hitters, struck out on foul tips.

Sandoval punched out on a 96.3 mph fastball and Leon on a 82.6 mph curveball.

Dustin Pedroia grounded out to Pirates starter Jameson Taillon to end the frame.

Andrew Benintendi led off the sixth inning with a single, but Xander Bogaerts struck out looking and Hanley Ramirez grounded into a double play.

Running through a stop sign

Sandy Leon doubled with two outs in third inning, then tried to score on Dustin Pedroia's hard single to right field.

Leon ran through third base coach Brian Butterfield's stop sign and right fielder Andrew McCutchen threw him out by a couple of feet.

Watch this play by Xander Bogaerts ...

Xander Bogaerts showed off his range and strong arm on a grounder by David Freese to his right for the first out of the 10th inning:

Pablo Sandoval makes second error

Pablo Sandoval committed just one error in 42 total chances during spring training. But he has committed two errors in two regular season games.

He had a throwing error Monday, then failed to catch a ground ball to hm to begin the ninth inning Wednesday.

Craig Kimbrel pitches a scoreless frame in a non-save situation

Craig Kimbrel struggled mightily in non-save situations during 2016, posting a 5.12 ERA in 19 1/3 innings.

But the first non-save situation this year went well. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning and pitched around Sandoval's error to begin the frame.

Red Sox loaded bases in 10th

Jackie Bradley Jr. singled with one out in the 10th. With two outs, Sandy Leon blooped a single into right. Dustin Pedroia then walked to load the bases.

That left it out up to Andrew Benintendi but he grounded out to second to end the frame.

Chris Sale dominates in his first start for Red Sox with seven scoreless innings

Jen McCaffrey

BOSTON - Anticipation for Chris Sale's first regular season start with the Red Sox built all spring.

He lived up to expectation.

Sale fired seven scoreless innings, allowing just thee singles and a walk while striking out seven. He left the mound to a standing ovation in the seventh after throwing 104 pitches, 69 for strikes.

The lefty allowed singles in the second, third and fifth innings, but stranded each runner at first. He didn't issue a walk until the seventh.

Sale mixed his fastball and changeup with his lethal slider to induced 14 swings and misses. Six of his seven strikeouts were swinging -- four on sliders, one with a nasty 96 mph fastball and the other on a changeup.

Matt Barnes entered in relief of Sale to start the eighth with the game knotted in a scoreless tie.

Red Sox starting rotation depth: John Farrell says Kyle Kendrick is No. 1 option; who's 2 and 3?

Christopher Smith

BOSTON -- Manager John Farrell and the Red Sox won't always have the luxury of being able to use the best starting pitching depth option.

A sudden injury to someone in Boston's rotation could result in the most rested depth starter at Pawtucket receiving the start for Boston, not the most preferred option.

But who does Farrell think is the best option right now with everyone rested?

"With the benefit of having a couple of days notice, Kyle Kendrick certainly would be the guy that we would go to," Farrell said. "Beyond that, when you get into it three or four weeks, rest is going to be a key component to factoring in who's available. But coming out of spring training, Kendrick, (Henry) Owens, (Brian) Johnson, probably in that order."

Kendrick is the top option despite not being on the 40-man roster right now. He posted a 4-0 record and 2.18 ERA in eight outings (seven starts), 33 innings this spring.

The Red Sox had 10 different pitchers make at least one start last year.

Roenis Elias is on the disabled list now with a right intercostal muscle strain.

Owens and Johnson both struggled in camp.

Owens, who has dealt with serious control issues, went 0-3 with a 15.95 ERA in four outings (three starts). He allowed 13 runs, all earned, on 13 hits (two homers) and 12 walks while striking out 13 in 7 1/3 innings.

Johnson, who missed time last year being treated for anxiety and depression, went 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA in three outings (one start). He allowed seven runs, four earned, on 11 hits (one homer) and six walks while striking out five.

* The Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Red Sox Journal: Rain threatens series finale

Bill Ballou

BOSTON — Thursday’s weather forecast is for rain, and the meteorologists have not been wrong since last Saturday’s faux snowstorm, so the Red Sox are preparing for the possibility that they and the Pirates will not end their season series this afternoon as scheduled.

Both teams are off April 13. That’s fine for Boston, coming in the middle of a homestand, but Pittsburgh has a night game at home on April 12, then plays an afternoon game at Wrigley Field on April 14.

Otherwise, on the other four common days off, one team or the other would be playing in violation of the scheduling rule that says teams cannot play more than 19 straight games. That rule can be waived by a vote of the players.

If the Sox and Pirates do play this afternoon, Boston sends perennial future star Eduardo Rodriguez to the mound. Big things have been expected of him ever since his fine debut in 2015, but Rodriguez’s overall record of 13-13 with a 4.25 ERA is unspectacular.

Still, Rodriguez is just 23, the second youngest player on the 25-man roster after Andrew Benintendi.

The lefty is 6-7 with a 4.45 ERA in 21 career starts at Fenway Park and 1-1 in interleague competition. He beat the Phillies and lost to the Marlins, both times in 2015.

Illness sidelines Betts

Mookie Betts didn’t feel well on Wednesday and wasn’t in the lineup. It is not influenza, according to manager John Farrell. Robbie Ross Jr. has the same problem as does Brock Holt, and Holt was sent home. Chris Young started in right field.

Young hit in the No. 6 spot with Xander Bogaerts moving up to bat third.

Red Sox connection

There are a few Red Sox connections throughout the Pirates organization starting with two members of their major league coaching staff, Dave Jauss and Euclides Rojas, both former Boston coaches. Ex-manager Grady Little is a special assistant in the baseball operations department and reliever Pat Light, who pitched in two games for the Sox last year, is with Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis.

Milestone day

Dustin Pedroia played in his 1,400th game on Wednesday night, all of them in a Red Sox uniform. That puts him in sole possession of 11th place on the team’s all-time list, behind No. 10 , who played in 1,546 games for Boston.

Pedroia has played 1,390 of those games at second base but made his major league debut as Boston’s starting shortstop on Aug. 22, 2006.

Wednesday night’s game was the 1,000th for third baseman Pablo Sandoval.

Fast track

Rookie reliever Ben Taylor is in fairly select company. He made Boston’s Opening Day roster even though he has never played an inning of Triple-A baseball. Taylor worked in 21 games at Double-A Portland last season. In this century, Shea Hillenbrand in 2001 and Jackie Bradley Jr. in 2013 are the only other Sox players to be on the Opening Day roster with no previous Triple-A experience. did it in 1980 and in 1977. In 1964, was on the Opening Day roster even though he had never played at a higher level than Class D, back when the minors still had that classification. Conigliaro came up directly from Wellsville of the New York-Penn League, one of baseball’s low A leagues today. It would be the equivalent of a Boston player coming to the majors from Lowell. ... David Price continues to throw comfortably and Tyler Thornburg is scheduled to be looked at today, Farrell said.

* The Portland Press Herald

On Baseball: Strong start for Sale in Boston

Kevin Thomas

BOSTON — When Chris Sale walks out to the mound, he looks like he’s on stilts, his 6-foot-6, 178-pound body seemingly all legs.

Then Sale goes into his funky delivery, looking like he will stumble off the mound.

“You get the impression there are arms and legs coming at you at every different angle,” Red Sox Manager John Farrell said. “His delivery does not give the hitter a real comfortable feel when they’re in the batter’s box.”

Farrell was eager to watch his newest – and best? – pitcher make his Boston Red Sox debut Wednesday night.

“We all have anticipated,” Farrell said, “from the time he was traded (for) in the winter meetings.”

On that Dec. 6 day, Boston sent four prospects, including $63 million man Yoan Moncada and 100 mph fastball-thrower Michael Kopech, to land Sale and bring immediate hope for Boston’s next appearance in the World Series.

Sale seemed to savor his Red Sox debut

“I get nervous before every game but tonight was a little bit different, obviously, my first time pitching here in the home whites,” Sale said. “Running out of the first base dugout was pretty awesome.

“I tried to do my usual routine but soak it all in at the same time.”

Sale has never pitched in the playoffs. He also has never won a , although he’s been in the top six in the voting the past five years.

He entered Wednesday’s game with a career 3.00 ERA, 1,244 strikeouts and 260 walks. Pretty good strikeout/walk ratio of 4.78 – actually the best ratio in the live ball era (after 1920).

Sale improved that ratio Wednesday, striking out seven and walking none. He gave up three hits over seven innings. And, if not for Jameson Taillon matching him with seven scoreless innings, Sale would have had his first Red Sox win.

“I felt good. I felt confident. I felt like I could throw all my pitches for strikes,” Sale said.

On Wednesday, featuring a raw, damp 40 degrees, Sale established a fastball that hit 98 mph, mixing in sliders and change-ups.

The Red Sox have seen that before – against them.

“It went bad most of the time. I’m glad he’s one our team now, that’s for sure,” said Boston center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr.

In his 11 at-bats against Sale, Bradley had one single and six strikeouts.

“He’s tall,” Bradley said, beginning to list Sale’s strengths. “A very unusual delivery. He throws really hard. Great off-speed pitches. And he’s not afraid to pitch inside.”

Bradley figured there would be a buzz at Fenway.

“Everyone comes to watch guys like him on the mound,” Bradley said.

Wednesday’s crowd cheered every strike. He retired the first four batters, and 13 of the first 15. He started batters with a 97 mph four-seamer, or a two-seamer at 92, or a change-up (87) or his biting slider (79).

And when he mixed them … the term is nasty.

In the third inning, with a runner on first and two outs, right-handed batter Starling Marte came up.

Marte swung and missed at a first-pitch change-up. He fouled off another change-up. Sale then came with a slider that had Marte flailing for strike three.

“A deceptive change-up, a good breaking ball,” Farrell said. “He’s got a lot of things going for him, in addition to an attitude he exudes on the mound of a very competitive guy.

“The total package is what enables him to be successful.”

Sale should make the Red Sox successful – provided they score some runs for him.

When he left the game in the seventh inning, the Fenway crowd gave him a standing ovation.

“Walking off in the seventh inning is a feeling I’ll never forget,” Sale said. “That’s special and it’s awesome and I appreciate it, too.”

Wednesday night provided relief for Boston fans as they anxiously await the fate of David Price. The Red Sox keep speaking optimistically of Price’s rehab from a sore elbow. But he has yet to pitch off the mound during this rehab. Besides long toss on Wednesday, Price stepped on mound – just to get a feel for it. He threw the ball, but did not pitch to a crouching catcher.

Who knows what the Red Sox will get with Price? They do know they got another lefty they can rely on.

The White Sox got a good haul of prospects in this deal, but Moncada is in Triple-A, and Kopech is still in .

Sale is in Fenway Park. Everyone comes to watch guys like that.

*Redsox.com

Leon sends Sox to walk-off win in 12 vs. Bucs

Ian Browne and Adam Berry

BOSTON -- The act of crossing home plate had been impossible for nearly four hours on Wednesday night at Fenway Park until Sandy Leon suddenly set off a late-night celebration.

The catcher belted a three-run walk-off homer to left with one out in the bottom of the 12th inning against Pirates lefty Antonio Bastardo to give the Red Sox a thrilling 3-0 win.

It had been a game dominated by pitching, first with a compelling duel between new Red Sox ace Chris Sale (seven innings, three hits, one walk, seven strikeouts) and promising Pirates right-hander Jameson Taillon (seven innings, five hits, six strikeouts), and then by both bullpens.

"Classic pitchers' duel through seven innings between the two starters," said Red Sox manager John Farrell.

One swift flick of the wrists by Leon brought the first scoring play of the game, giving Boston a 2-0 start to open the season. It was the first walk-off hit of Leon's career.

"Awesome," said Leon. "A long game like that, you're just trying to get a win for the team. I'm not a home run hitter, so I was just trying to get a good pitch to hit. I was just trying to keep it simple and get a base hit so [Jackie Bradley Jr.] could score. The pitch was right in the middle, so I put a good swing on it and it was a homer."

Bradley started the winning rally by reaching base for the third time on the night with a one-out walk against Bastardo, and then stole second. Pablo Sandoval, who isn't known for his plate discipline, worked an eight-pitch walk.

Up stepped Leon, who smoked an 0-1 pitch over the Green Monster.

"I missed right in the middle," Bastardo said. "That was my mistake right there, and I paid for it."

The only thing Sale lacked in his debut for the Red Sox was run support. Sale walked one and struck out seven, throwing 104 pitches. He induced 14 swings and misses and left with the game scoreless.

Joe Kelly earned the win with two strong innings.

"The way this one was going, we were having conversations in the dugout, you could see this possibly 15, 16 innings," said Farrell. "Just on a cold night where the ball really wasn't traveling, fortunately Sandy had enough to get it out of here."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Nobody's on second: The Pirates didn't get a runner to second base all night, leaving six men on base but no one in scoring position. Their best chance might have been in the ninth inning, which Jordy Mercer led off by reaching safely when Sandoval booted a grounder. Up came Starling Marte, who decided to try to bunt over Mercer. The attempt was unsuccessful, with Marte popping out to Sandoval in foul territory, leaving Mercer at first.

Dustin Pedroia cut down Mercer at second on a hard-bouncing ball off the bat of Andrew McCutchen -- who is hitless through two games -- and Craig Kimbrel got Gregory Polanco to ground out to escape the inning unscathed.

"Marte felt it was the best move for him to try to win the game," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "I'm not going to second-guess my players publicly, ever. I know it's hard to bunt a guy that throws almost 100 mph, I would think. However, that's the initiative he took to try to help us win a game."

Glove work helps Red Sox win it: Pedroia helped keep the game at a stalemate with a brilliant snare of a McCutchen hot shot in the ninth. Just as the ball looked ready to take a high hop into a patch of outfield grass for a base hit, Pedroia dove and snagged it, throwing to second for a force. And what would a Red Sox game be without Bradley making a great play? To open the eighth, the center fielder swooped in and made a sliding catch to rob Polanco of a hit. According to Statcast™, it was a four-star catch with a 49 percent Catch Probability. Bradley traveled 81 feet on the play and took 4.6 seconds to do so.

"I saw he didn't get all of it so I just tucked my head and started running in," said Bradley. "I was able to pick it up at the last little bit."

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

The last time the Red Sox had a at Fenway Park in a game 12 innings or more was on July 15, 1971, against the Twins. Remarkably, that one also ended with a 3-0 final score on a three-run walk-off homer, that one hit by Rico Petrocelli that scored Reggie Smith and Carl Yastrzemski in the 13th.

QUOTABLE

"I'm not going to overcook this thing offensively. They threw some good stuff at us. Chris Sale is a quality pitcher. The guys out of the bullpen had some power with some spin. We're up there battling. It's two games into the season. We've got work to do in front of us." -- Hurdle

"It's a long time to play. Obviously I didn't sign up for 12, but it was nice to get the win. All the better having your catcher go out there and walk it off. That's special." -- Sale

UNDER REVIEW

With offense at a premium, Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts tried to leg out an infield hit on a slow roller to third baseman David Freese. The throw to first arrived right around the time Bogaerts was crossing the bag. First-base umpire Chris Guccione called Bogaerts out, and Farrell issued his first challenge of the season, but the call stood.

WHAT'S NEXT

Pirates: Right-hander will make his season debut Thursday in the Pirates' 1:35 p.m. ET series finale against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Kuhl is coming off a solid rookie season in which he went 5-4 with a 4.20 ERA over 14 starts. Gregory Polanco is expected to be the Bucs' , with Adam Frazier returning to left field.

Red Sox: Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez makes his first start Thursday. The lefty will try to pitch better at Fenway than he did last year, when he went 0-4 with a 6.02 ERA in nine starts.

Sale dominates in home debut at Fenway

Ian Browne

BOSTON -- The warmest person at frigid Fenway Park on Wednesday night was the lefty ace with no long sleeves under his jersey.

After four months of build-up, Chris Sale finally got to pitch in a regular-season game for the Red Sox. He was revved up for the occasion, which culminated with his new team pulling out a 3-0 win in 12 innings on Sandy Leon's three-run walk-off home run.

With near pinpoint command, Sale dazzled over seven shutout innings, allowing three hits and a walk while striking out seven.

"I get nervous before every game. Tonight was a little bit different, obviously," said Sale. "It was my first time pitching here in the home whites. Running out of the first-base dugout is pretty awesome. It was special. I appreciated it, too. I tried to go through my routine and do everything I normally do but also soak it all in at the same time."

It was a night Sale won't forget any time soon, particularly when he came off the mound after the seventh to a loud ovation from the crowd of 36,137. The Fenway faithful knew that after 104 pitches, Sale wouldn't be coming back out for the eighth. Not at this early stage of the season, when the temperature at game time was 40 degrees.

"Walking out to the bullpen today before I even threw my first warmup pitch, people were losing their minds," said Sale. "Walking off in the seventh inning, that's another feeling I'll never forget. That's special. That's awesome. And I appreciate it."

The Pirates didn't much appreciate what Sale was throwing at them either. He mixed in a balance of mid 90s heat and that wicked slider you've probably heard about. There were 14 swings and misses by the Pirates out of Sale's 104 pitches.

"He worked quick and it was cold, so we probably fed off each other in that regard," said Pirates right- hander Jameson Taillon, who also fired seven shutout innings. "It was definitely a cool atmosphere. I heard the ovation he got before the game in the bullpen. That was pretty cool."

Cool was a fitting choice of words on this night. But after spending his first seven Major League seasons with the White Sox, Sale was unfazed by the early-season conditions.

"Yeah, everyone has to play in it," said Sale. "It's just part of it early in the season and late in the season. That's what we sign up for. The other team has to play in it, too. You deal with it and just play."

And in Sale's case, you dominate.

"It was amazing, his will to win," said Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. "It's amazing to be behind him. He's very determined. You can tell once he gets the ball, he feels like he's the best guy on that field. He really showed up tonight."

Statcast of the Day: JBJ saves day in 12th

Ian Browne

BOSTON -- Through the first 11 innings at Fenway Park on Wednesday night, Jackie Bradley Jr. had yet to make the dazzling grab in center field that he seems to make in just about every Red Sox game.

As it turns out, he timed this one perfectly. In the top of the 12th, Gregory Polanco hit a little looper that Xander Bogaerts raced back for as Bradley swarmed in.

At the last instant, Bogaerts scurried out of the way while Bradley slid in for a crucial grab in a game the Red Sox would win, 3-0, over the Pirates in 12 innings.

Statcast™ rated it as a 4-star catch with a 49 percent catch probability rate.

Last season Bradley tied for eighth in the Majors with 11 4-star catches.

For this particular catch, Bradley needed to travel 81 feet and did so in 4.6 seconds. That's what is known as closing speed.

"I saw he didn't get all of it," said Bradley. "Just tucked my head and started running in. I picked it up at the last little bit. Plays like that in a game are big. It gives you momentum and a lot of confidence to the pitchers that you can make a play for them."

Joe Kelly, the man on the mound for the Red Sox at the time, has full faith in Bradley. But even he thought this particular bloop might spell trouble.

"Polanco hit that ball, and that guy runs like a deer," said Kelly. "So off the bat, I was assuming it would be a double if he sprinted out of the box and that ball falls. So I thought Jackie was the last guy that would catch it. I thought Bogey had a little better chance just because I knew he [Bradley] was playing deep and Polanco has some pop. But see him coming in sliding, and I thought 'he has a chance,' but he caught it a lot more clean than I thought he would. So that was pretty impressive to see a play like that."

The Red Sox are fortunate to have two stellar defenders in the outfield with Bradley and right fielder Mookie Betts.

Bradley had 17 4-5 star catches last year, and Betts had 14. The only other team to have two outfielders combine on more 4-5 star catches? Cincinnati's Billy Hamilton (24) and Adam Duvall (15).

'Simple' approach yields Leon's first walk-off hit

Quinn Roberts

BOSTON -- It had been a long night at the plate for the Red Sox on Wednesday at Fenway Park when Sandy Leon stepped up with one out in the bottom of the 12th inning against the Pirates. Leon changed the night with one swing.

Crushing an 0-1 pitch over the Green Monster, the Red Sox catcher catapulted the team to a 3-0 win with his first career walk-off hit.

"I just started running," Leon said. "I didn't even know it was gone. When the fans started to yell, I knew.

"A long game like that, I just wanted to keep it simple, but it was right down the middle and I put a good swing on it."

Belting three of the team's eight hits, Leon is the first Red Sox catcher to record multiple hits in each of his first two games of the season since Sammy White in 1954.

The home run made up for his baserunning blunder in the third inning that could have led to a Red Sox rally. After hitting a double with two outs, Leon charged home on a single to right field by Dustin Pedroia, running through the stop sign of third-base coach Brian Butterfield.

"Earlier in the ballgame, Sandy runs through a stop sign, so he certainly redeemed himself with the final swing tonight," said Red Sox manager John Farrell.

One of his most excited teammates after the game was starter Chris Sale, who made his Red Sox debut, allowing three hits over seven innings with seven strikeouts.

"Sandy was the one calling them. I was just the one throwing them. When you can have confidence in your guys behind the plate like that, it's huge," Sale said. "Watching him hit that home run, that was fun."

Price progresses with tosses off mound

Ian Browne

BOSTON -- Red Sox lefty David Price's latest step in his recovery came on Wednesday, when he made roughly 25 throws off the mound after his long-toss work was complete.

Though it wasn't a full-blown side session and the catcher was not in the crouching position, it was the first time Price has thrown off the slope since being shut down with a left elbow strain on March 1.

"It was just more for David to feel the slope of the mound under his feet, to throw the ball downhill a little bit more," said Red Sox manager John Farrell. "The most encouraging thing is with each throwing session he goes through, he comes out feeling good physically. And we'll look to do the same [Thursday], with maybe a little bit more distance to the long toss.

Price was able to get to just over 100 feet in his long toss on Wednesday.

Until he is cleared to begin a regular diet of side sessions, it's hard to project a return date.

It's clear that Price won't pitch for the Red Sox in April, because he still needs to go through a full Spring Training worth of starts.

Worth noting

• Left-hander Drew Pomeranz felt that Monday's Minor League start in Fort Myers, Fla., was the last step before his return to action. The plan remains for Pomeranz to come off the disabled list and pitch Sunday afternoon's game in Detroit, though some projected rainy weather in Boston on Thursday could impact the rotation.

"I feel about normal for the beginning of the year," said Pomeranz. "I feel great. I've got 90 pitches in, I feel that's what most people did the last start anyway, so I feel I'm right where I need to be."

• Tyler Thornburg, who is on the 10-day disabled list with an impingement in his right shoulder, will be examined by the medical staff on Thursday. The Red Sox should know after that if he can resume throwing.

Joe Kelly was originally expected to be the primary setup man in Thornburg's absence, but the righty had some command issues late in Spring Training. Heath Hembree and Matt Barnes are at least temporarily ahead of Kelly in the pecking order for high-leverage situations.

"We've got to get Joe going a little bit to take on the potential of the eighth inning," said Farrell. "But we're going to mix and match, and use our best possible matchups to get to [Craig Kimbrel] until things become a little more solidified. [Kelly] had a couple outings of late where fastball command has been a little elusive, walks have been there. So just trying to get him a little momentum as he takes on added responsibility."

*ESPNBoston.com

Chris Sale's introduction to Boston a 'must-see' event

Scott Lauber

BOSTON -- Chris Sale had pitched in Fenway Park before. Six times, to be exact, over the past seven seasons with the . Seven, actually, if you count a relief appearance in the Cape Cod League All-Star Game as an amateur in 2009.

But he never experienced anything quite like what awaited him when he got to the bullpen before the game Wednesday night.

"I noticed when he was warming up, he would stop a couple times and just look around," Boston Red Sox pitching coach said. "And in the bullpen, obviously a lot of fans came by and gave him well- wishes. It was pretty neat. I think there was a lot of energy to it."

Indeed, it was Chris Sale Night in Boston. Even with LeBron James playing across town against the Celtics, even amid the bite of a 40-degree game-time chill, an announced crowd of more than 36,000 people wedged into Fenway to glimpse the ace lefty slicing and dicing the Pittsburgh Pirates in his Red Sox debut after what felt like years of the team flirting with him in trade rumors.

And Sale didn't disappoint. He tossed seven shutout innings in a duel with Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Jameson Taillon in a game that wasn't decided until catcher Sandy Leon swatted a three-run home run into the seats atop the Green Monster in the 12th inning to snap a scoreless game and give the Red Sox a 3-0 victory.

Sale described it as "special," and he was referring to the entire night -- from the anticipation leading up to his first pitch, to the seven "K" cards (one for each strikeout) that were posted on a railing next to the camera well in left-center field, to the standing ovation after the seventh inning, to, of course, Leon's blast that brought the parka-clad Red Sox spilling out of the dugout.

As debuts go, Sale's performance was right up there with any high-profile pitcher the Red Sox have imported over the past 20 years. In fact, his final line -- 7 innings, 3 hits, zero runs, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts -- was eerily similar to Pedro Martinez's first Red Sox start in 1998, when he held the scoreless on 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 11.

"I get nervous before every game. Tonight was a little bit different," Sale said. "I tried to go through my normal routine and do everything I normally do but also soak it all in at the same time. Walking out to the bullpen today before I even threw my first warm-up pitch, people were losing their minds. Walking off in the seventh inning, that's another feeling I'll never forget. That's awesome. And I appreciate it."

Sale channeled that passion in the first inning. His first three pitches were all fastballs in every sense of the word, clocked at 96, 97 and 98, respectively. After getting leadoff man Jordy Mercer to ground weakly to shortstop, he registered his first strikeout on a wicked slider that nearly hit righty-swinging Starling Marte in the foot.

David Freese notched the Pirates' first hit, a one-out single in the second inning. Only three other batters reached base against Sale, none advancing beyond first. The Pirates didn't put a runner into scoring position all night, in fact, against six Red Sox pitchers.

"I think what we saw tonight is similar to the things we saw in spring training," Willis said. "He can pitch a power game. He can go get 97. But I think more than anything else, it's his ability to throttle it down and use his off-speed pitches and the confidence he has, regardless of the count, to throw the changeup, the , the slider. That's pitching."

Putting it more simply, Leon said, "He's nasty. It's really fun to catch him."

Sale is hardly the first big-name pitcher the Red Sox have acquired in the past 20 years. There was in 2004 and Josh Beckett in 2006, Daisuke Matsuzaka and his mythical in 2007, John Lackey in 2010, Rick Porcello in 2015 and $217 million-man David Price last year.

But the buzz over Sale is downright Pedro-esque. Maybe it's the fact the Red Sox were linked to Sale long before they actually pulled off a blockbuster trade for him in December. Or perhaps it's his size (6-foot-6 and thin as a beanpole) or his unique delivery that accents a ridiculous 82-inch wingspan.

It could also be his no-nonsense attitude. Sale pitched in short sleeves Wednesday night despite the 40- degree temperature at first pitch. He doesn't bother with or Facebook, but rather gives off a vibe that he doesn't give a hoot about anything. After the trade, Chicago White Sox assistant general manager Buddy Bell told ESPN.com that Sale "has never really cared about anything other than his teammates and just getting people out."

"You love the way Chris Sale goes about his work," Red Sox manager John Farrell said after seeing it up close in a game that counted.

You get the sense Fenway Park will be filled every time Sale takes the mound, his starts taking on the feeling of must-see events.

In time, Sale will get used to it, even if Red Sox fans never do.’

*CSNNE.com

Chris Sale learns from Tom Brady, brings first Red Sox jersey home

Evan Drellich

BOSTON - Chris Sale has gone from cutting up jerseys to cherishing them.

The new Red Sox ace is a pretty understated guy, crediting his defense and his catcher Wednesday night after seven excellent shutout innings against the Pirates.

But Sale also made clear that his first start with his new team really struck a chord. He was touched by the fans, to the point he wanted a memento.

CSNNE’s Bill Messina learned Sale walked out of the clubhouse Wednesday night with a little memento: the home white jersey he wore while striking out seven and allowing no runs in seven innings.

Best of all: Sale joked that he learned from Tom Brady that it's best to keep a watchful eye on game-used shirts.

The Sox lefty was feeling the Fenway vibes Thursday night — two days after Brady and that Super Bowl LI jersey that went missing were at Fenway Park for Opening Day.

“I get nervous before every game. Tonight was a little bit different obviously,” Sale said in his group scrum after the game. “It was my first time pitching here in the home whites.

“Walking out to the bullpen today before I even threw my first warmup pitch, people were losing their minds. Walking off in the seventh inning, that’s another feeling I’ll never forget. That’s special. That’s awesome. And I appreciate it.”

Sale wore short sleeves in some very cold weather. But the Florida native got used to the cold pitching with the White Sox in Chicago.

“Everyone has to play in it. It’s just part of it early on in the season and late in the season,” Sale said. “It’s going to be cold. That’s what we sign up for. The other team has to play in it too. You deal with it and just play.”

Marco Hernandez called up to Red Sox

Evan Drellich

BOSTON -- Infielder Marco Hernandez will be called up from Triple-A Pawtucket to help the flu-ridden Red Sox, baseball sources have told CSNNE.com.

It's unclear if Hernandez is the corresponding move for Matt Barnes' placement on the bereavement list for a three-day absence, or for another potential roster move with players like Brock Holt and Mookie Betts sick with flu-like symptoms.

The Red Sox played with a short bench in a 12-inning, 3-0 win over the Pirates on Thursday. They've been carrying an extra reliever to start the season with their expected fifth starter, Drew Pomeranz, on the disabled list, so they theoretically could add another position player in place of Barnes.

The fact that the team may well be rained out on Thursday could help the bullpen recover in time for the start of a series in Detroit on Friday.

Betts, Holt, and Ross struck by flu bug running through Red Sox

Evan Drellich

BOSTON -- The most widespread clubhouse illness Sox manager John Farrell recalls seeing since 2008 continues to hurt the team.

Brock Holt was sent home, Mookie Betts was out of the lineup, and Robbie Ross Jr. was also ill on Wednesday ahead of Chris Sale’s first start with the Red Sox.

Holt and Betts did not test positive for the flu, but do have flu-like symptoms, Farrell said. (It’s unclear if Ross tested positive.)

“We’ve got a few guys that we’re paying close attention to and whether or not they’re available tonight remains to be seen,” Farrell said. “But at the outset, particularly Mookie is not.

“It’s been popping up all spring training. We’ve had coaches leave Annapolis, come back early, quarantine a number of different players but it’s hanging around . . . We still have to let them get through their symptoms before they get back to active play.”

Farrell remember a road trip in 2008 that included a visit to as another time the Red Sox fell ill on such a widespread basis. Both players and staffers have fought off the flu or flu-like symptoms at various points. had to be quarantined as spring training ended.

Pomeranz in line to pitch Sunday, but rain may juggle Red Sox rotation

Evan Drellich

BOSTON -- Drew Pomeranz is in line to pitch Sunday in Detroit, but the potential for a rainout Thursday may interfere even if he is deemed ready.

The Sox could juggle their rotation at that point.

"I feel about normal for the beginning of the year," said Pomeranz, who threw in a minor-league game Monday in Florida. "I feel great. I've got 90 pitches in, I feel that’s what most people did the last start anyway, so I feel I'm right where I need to be."

Pomeranz didn’t exactly seem like a man oozing confidence, but he’s laid back to begin with. At the same time, if there's an opportunity to get him more rest, the Red Sox should take it.

Manager John Farrell didn’t offer a definitive plan for the rotation in case of a rainout.

"Everything points to him making a start this upcoming series," Farrell said. "The only thing that could effect the actual day is, one, his eligibility, which is Sunday. And then, two, the weather and how that might affect the rotation going forward over the next turn through the rotation.

"We haven’t made a Plan B in the event that tomorrow is rained out, but it’s a consideration at this point. Then we also have to factor if we are rained out tomorrow, what is the makeup date.

"There’s not many off-days that are not violation of the number of consecutive games played. And the mutual off dates, while I think there are five between us, I think four of them are in violation [of scheduling rules]."

An off-day April 13 would not be in violation, Farrell said, and could be a potential make-up date.

Price throws off mound for first time since injuring elbow

Evan Drellich

BOSTON -- David Price didn't throw a full-fledged bullpen session on Wednesday. But he did reach a milestone greater than, say, throwing a ball off a trampoline, which is how his recovery from his elbow injury began.

Price played long toss at Fenway Park from about 100 feet and then threw off a mound to a standing catcher, according to Red Sox manager John Farrell.

It's the first time Price has thrown off a mound since he woke up with a stiff arm following a Feb. 28 bullpen session in spring training.

“Got on the mound for an additional 25 throws, not with the catcher down, just more for David to feel the slope of the mound under his feet, to throw the ball downhill a little bit more,” Farrell said. “The most encouraging thing is each throwing session he goes through, he comes out feeling good physically. And we’ll look to do the same tomorrow with maybe a little bit more distance to the long toss.

“I think it’s important to categorize it as, it was not to the catcher -- just to feel the slope under his feet.”

Price is to travel with the team to Detroit for a series that begins Friday.

Farrell previously said Price needs to get out to 120-150 feet before throwing off the mound in earnest.

Drellich: Kimbrel’s out of control at back end of Sox’ bullpen

Evan Drellich

BOSTON -- Craig Kimbrel had no idea where his curveball was going.

Well, he had some idea. He knew it was going to break hard, and fast, and go nowhere close to the spot he wanted it.

So in Monday's 5-3 win over the Pirates, the Red Sox basically stopped using one of his two pitches.

Four of the 22 pitches Kimbrel threw Monday were . Every one of them was off the plate.

The final one he threw came after a quick mound chat with catcher Sandy Leon, with an 0-and-2 count on Adam Frazier. It swerved right into Frazier's knee, putting the potential tying run on base with two out.

The Red Sox closer is filthy enough that occasionally, he can have just one reliable pitch and still get the job done. Fifteen of his 22 pitches in all still wound up strikes, thanks to his fastball.

Kimbrel is filthy enough that occasionally, he can keep a pair of base runners from scoring with just one pitch. He even struck out two batters. (Pitching in the afternoon shadows at Fenway Park couldn't have hurt.)

But a curveball gone wild is a bad omen for a pitcher whose walk rate skyrocketed last season.

Eventually, Kimbrel will need to know where his curveball is going. Because unless you're , you can't get by on one pitch long term.

Kimbrel's command was an obvious problem last year. He reviewed his mechanics over the winter. He set out to work on his direction and delivery in Florida.

"That's going to be a spring training thing," Kimbrel said in January. "Really, I haven't even been off the mound yet. I've just been long tossing and doing things like that. We're going to have plenty of time in spring training, especially with it being a longer spring this year, to get off the mound and do all that."

Game 1 did not provide evidence he has successfully done "all that."

"I thought in spring training he had much better direction, much more consistent," Sox manager John Farrell said Monday. "He yanked a couple of pitches today, none more so than the 1-and-2 curveball to Frazier. Still, there were a number of quality strikes well-located with the premium velocity he has."

Kimbrel had trouble locating his fastball at times last year, too. He spotted some beautifully Monday, and others -- like the one Josh Bell nearly drove out over the Monster for a leadoff double -- were right down the middle.

The closer doesn't look like he's out of the woods.

*WEEI.com

After years of dreaming about Chris Sale, Red Sox were presented with a pretty impressive wake-up call Wednesday night

Rob Bradford

Michael Kopech and Yoan Moncada might be really, really good at some point in the next few years, but if you’re into instant gratification Chris Sale is your man.

If you wanted a blueprint for what any team would expect from the starting pitcher they acquired when giving up their top two prospects, Sale delivered it to you Wednesday night.

Zero runs over seven innings. He struck out seven, allowed just three hits, and didn’t walk a batter until the second-to-last Pirate the lefty faced. (For a complete recap of the game, click here.)

Sale did what he does. He worked quick. He dominated both sides of the plate. And he missed bats with fastballs, chanegups and sliders (14 swings and misses). The only negative for pitcher was that he didn’t get decision, having to leave in a midst of scoreless affair.

Ultimately Sandy Leon’s three-run, walk-off home run in the 12th inning allowed Sale’s performance to not go for naught. And the fact that relievers Matt Barnes, Heath Hembree, Robby Scott, Craig Kimbrel and Joe Kelly helped team to not allow a Pirates baserunner to pass first base all night was something.

“I felt good. I felt confident,” Sale said. “I felt like I was able to throw all my pitches for strikes. Not only that but ahead in the count, behind in the count, off-speed stuff. Credit goes to Sandy though. He was the one calling the pitches, I was just the one throwing them. When you can have confidence in the guy behind the plate like that, it’s huge. Just watching him hit that home run, that was fun.”

Still, this was Sale’s night.

“Walking out for Opening Day was awesome. That’s a feeling I’ll never forget. I’m very appreciative of that. I know that’s not easy to come by. Walking out to the bullpen today before I even threw my first warmup pitch, people were losing their minds,” he said. “Walking off in the seventh inning, that’s another feeling I’ll never forget. That’s special. That’s awesome. And I appreciate it.”

The Red Sox’ starter couldn’t help it if the Red Sox couldn’t do anything against another pitcher also born in Lakeland, Fla., Pittsburgh starter Jameson Taillon. The second overall pick in the 2010 draft, who was taken nine spots in front of Sale, was virtually just as good, also turning in seven innings of shutout ball.

But no matter the final outcome, with 160 games to go we were granted a reminder why Red Sox fans have been obsessed with Sale for the last three years.

This was the guy so many thought would be impossible to pry from the White Sox. Three years left on his team-friendly deal. Just 28 years old. It seemed like a pipe dream.

There have been others.

Remember how the fan base lusted after Hanley Ramirez while he was emerging into one of the best offensive players in baseball in the years after joining the Marlins?

How about those five-for-one packages proposed for Felix Hernandez?

Adrian Gonzalez became a reality, but only after a few years of unrealistic trade proposals.

The dream came to an end with his contract extension, but that only paved the way for Sale to enter the conversation.

Who knows where it’s going to go from here. It’s easy to suggest this is going to be the beginning of big things. But that’s what we insisted last season after David Price’s six-inning, two-run, 10-strikeout gem of a debut in Cleveland a year ago.

Before Price there were guys like Josh Beckett and Daisuke Matsuzaka, who both allowed just a run over seven innings in their first games pitching for the Red Sox.

It is hard to imagine Sale falling of the same cliff those others did as their inaugural season with the Red Sox unfolded. This has been one of the best pitchers in the American League over the last five seasons, and strong starts aren’t anything new to the southpaw. Last season he didn’t allow more than three runs in any of his starts until his 10th appearance (coming on May 24).

But for this night, anyway, Red Sox fans got their wish.

“I get nervous before every game,” Sale said. “Tonight was a little bit different obviously. It was my first time pitching here in the home whites. Running out of the first base dugout is pretty awesome. It was special. I appreciated it, too. I tried to go through my routine and do everything I normally do but also soak it all in at the same time.”

Red Sox notes: What is Joe Kelly’s role after not pitching in 8th inning on opening day?

Ryan Hannable

One of the biggest questions following Opening Day was what is Joe Kelly’s role as he was assumed to be the eighth inning guy, but instead it was Robbie Scott and Heath Hembree combining for a 1-2-3 inning.

Speaking prior to Wednesday’s game, manager John Farrell indicated Kelly needs to work his way into such a role after the way he closed out the spring. Kelly threw 9 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits and striking out nine, but did walk eight batters.

“He fits in the middle,” Farrell said. “I mentioned the other day, we come out of spring training with guys in a short list a little bit ahead of others. That is the way it played out the other day. We have to get Joe going a little bit to take on the potential of the eighth inning. We’re going to mix and match as best possible and matchup to get to [Craig] Kimbrel until things become a little bit more solidified.”

[UPDATE 12:15 a.m.: Kelly picked up the win Wednesday night by tossing a scoreless two innings and allowing only one hit against the Pirates. He’s now won 13 straight decisions dating back to 2015.]

One reliever who may not be available is lefty Robbie Ross Jr., as he is the latest member of the team to come down with flu-like symptoms. Other players are Mookie Betts and Brock Holt, who will not be available on Wednesday.

“We’ve got a few guys that we are paying close attention to and whether or not they are available tonight remains to be seen,” Farrell said. “At the outset, particularly Mookie is not.”

The flu has been going through the Red Sox clubhouse for several weeks, dating back to when the team was in Fort Myers. It is not the worst Farrell has seen, though.

“In ’08 it ran through our clubhouse extensively,” he said. “I think we had a 22-day road trip leaving Florida through Tokyo to L.A., to Oakland, to Toronto and back here and I think everyone got run down. It was pretty ramped that year as well.”

OTHER RED SOX NOTES

— The weather forecast does not look good for Thursday’s series finale (1:35 p.m. Thursday). If the game were to get rained out, it may not be a case of sliding the rotation back a day because of a few things. One thing to consider is due to the lack of mutual off days and not being able to play so many consecutive games, the two teams could make the game up next Thursday.

“Not necessarily,” Farrell said. “It might give us an opportunity to slot Steven Wright between left-handers and break them up a little bit. That is one of the things we are talking about. We haven’t made a Plan B in the event tomorrow is rained out, but it’s a consideration at this point. Then we also have to factor in if we are rained out tomorrow, what is the makeup date? There’s not many off days that are not in violation of the number of consecutive games played and the mutual off dates, while I think there are five between us, I think four of them are in violation.”

— Reliever Tyler Thornburg (shoulder impingement) will get some clarity on his situation Thursday.

“Tomorrow is his exam,” Farrell said. “We’ll determine tomorrow after he goes through a battery of tests in the weight room and in the training room whether it’s the time to put a ball in his hand, or if there is further strengthening needed.”

*NESN.com

Red Sox Notes: Chris Sale shines in debut; Sandy Leon surges offensively

Adam London

It was a long night at Fenway Park on Wednesday, but Sandy Leon sent Boston Red Sox fans home happy.

Leon’s three-run, walk-off blast gave the Red Sox a 3-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, earning Boston back-to-back victories to start the 2017 season. Boston’s win was its first walk-off victory in a season- opening series since 1990.

While Leon provided the exciting highlight, Chris Sale was the story for the Red Sox on Wednesday. In his highly anticipated Boston debut, the lefty shined on the mound, tossing seven scoreless innings in which he struck out seven batters and only walked one.

The best word to describe Sale’s debut would be “efficient.” The newly acquired pitcher demonstrated his tenacity on the mound, as he seemingly wasted no time in between pitches and showcased a very quick pace, which surely was much to the delight of those in favor of speeding up the game.

Sale recorded 104 pitches in his first start of the 2017 campaign, 69 of which went for strikes. He prevented the Pirates from getting anything going, as no Pittsburgh runner made it to second base during Sale’s seven innings of work.

Although it’s only one start, Red Sox fans have to be impressed with what they saw from Sale. Having a one-two punch of he and Rick Porcello should be a very imposing force for opponents moving forward.

Here are some more notes from Wednesday’s win.

–After a less-than-stellar showcase in Tuesday’s Opening Day, the Red Sox bullpen followed up in Game 2 with a much better performance. Matt Barnes, Craig Kimbrel, Heath Hembree, Robbie Scott and Joe Kelly combined for five scoreless innings in relief of Sale, and limited Pittsburgh to just two hits. Kelly, in particular, was strong for Boston. In his season debut, he tossed two scoreless innings in the 11th and 12th to help the Sox earn the victory. He now has won 13 straight decisions dating back to August 2015.

–Offense was hard to come by Wednesday, but the Red Sox did have their chances. After Leon ripped a double in the third inning, Dustin Pedroia followed with a double to the opposite field. Despite being held by third base coach Brian Butterfield, Leon ran through the stop sign and was thrown out at the plate by Andrew McCutchen.

The Sox also would squander a golden opportunity in the fifth. With runners on first and third and no outs in the inning, Boston followed with strikeouts from Pablo Sandoval and Leon, and then a Pedroia groundout.

–After a terrific 2016 campaign at the dish, Leon already is off to hot start in 2017. Through the first two games of the young season, the Red Sox catcher is 5-for-8 at the plate. He fell a triple shy of hitting for the cycle Wednesday, but he logged the clutch hit that mattered in the 12th inning.

–Jackie Bradley Jr. provided the only other noteworthy stat line at the plate for the Red Sox. The center fielder recorded his 300th career hit in the third inning and finished the night 2-for-4.

–Mitch Moreland remains the only Red Sox player who has yet to record a hit this season. Moreland had a particularly tough night at the plate Wednesday, as he went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts. However, he did rip deep shots to center and the right-field warning track, but the gloomy April weather didn’t do him any favors.

*The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Sandy Leon's 3-run homer in 12th ends pitchers' duel

Stephen J. Nesbitt

BOSTON — Once the pitchers’ duel ceased on a chilly April night at Fenway Park, with starters Chris Sale and Jameson Taillon spent after seven scoreless innings, a battle of bullpens emerged. It ended with a baseball clearing the Green Monster in the bottom of the 12th inning.

It ended with left-hander Antonio Bastardo walking back to the Pirates dugout, dejected, as the Boston Red Sox mobbed Sandy Leon, their No. 9 hitter, at home plate. It ended with Leon’s three-run homer that scored the only runs of a 3-0 Red Sox win Wednesday night.

The Leon blast came after back-to-back one-out walks and a defensive blunder. After Jackie Bradley Jr. walked, Bastardo had him picked off, but first baseman Phil Gosselin misfired on the throw to second. Pablo Sandoval walked. Bastardo piped a fastball to Leon, and it was over.

“The inning might have played out differently if we’d been able to make a play,” said manager Clint Hurdle. “The throw was chunked. It was a nice call by [bench coach Tom] Prince, well-executed by Bastardo, and we had a guy hung out.”

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle wants switch-hitting Josh Bell to get more at-bats against left-handed pitchers.

Stephen J. Nesbitt Manager Clint Hurdle leans to left against Boston left-hander Chris Sale The Pirates (0-2) had five hits. In 12 innings, none of their runners reached second base. The consecutive games with five or fewer hits are tied for the Pirates’ longest such streak to start a season since 1913.

“I’m not going to overcook this thing offensively,” Hurdle said. “They threw some good stuff at us.”

Taillon started his sophomore season with seven shutout innings. He struck out six, used 95 pitches and allowed five hits and three walks. Last season, Taillon had a 3.38 ERA and threw at least six innings in 12 of 18 starts. He was the steadiest starter for a rotation desperately needing stability. He was the same Wednesday. In high-leverage moments, he shined.

“Didn’t get beat by the guys we had circled in our game plan,” Taillon said.

Andrew McCutchen, making his second start in right, potentially prevented three runs. In the third, he gunned down Leon at home. In the fourth, McCutchen retreated to the warning track, his back bumping the bullpen wall, and pulled in Mitch Moreland’s fly ball, the slugger’s bid for a two-run home run. Taillon pointed toward McCutchen, and Starling Marte looked at the ballpark’s screens to see a replay.

“Now if I get that first hit off the bucket list, I’ll be good to go,” said McCutchen, who is 0 for 9 so far this season.

McCutchen had history with the Red Sox starter. In high school, McCutchen, from Fort Meade (Fla.) High School, hit a home run off Sale, the Lakeland High left-hander, that was estimated at 440 feet. Sale’s father later joked to the Naples Daily News, “I think it was closer to 475 feet.”

Bill Mazeroski's uniform and bat from Game 7 of the 1960 World Series.

Will Greer

Bill Mazeroski's Game 7 bat, jersey donated to Heinz History Center Sale has improved over the past decade and a half. He bested McCutchen and the rest of the Pirates lineup Wednesday. In seven innings, Sale surrendered three base hits and a walk. He struck out seven.

Taillon, like right-hander Gerrit Cole in the opener, ran into trouble in the fifth. Chris Young walked leading off. Bradley singled, moving Young to third, and later advanced to second on a . Taillon showed no sign of distress. He climbed the ladder to whiff Sandoval.

With Leon approaching the plate, the Pirates infield gathered on the mound. Catcher Francisco Cervelli got them on the same page about positioning, Taillon said. Leon had bunted against the shift Monday, a crippling play in a five-run fifth. The infield returned to its positions, unshifted. Taillon stuck out Leon on four pitches.

"All in all, it was a very, very solid first outing,” Hurdle said.

With Dustin Pedroia’s weak grounder back to Taillon, the escape was complete.

The Pirates offense outlasted Sale, but never found the ignition. They appeared to have life in the ninth after Sandoval booted a Jordy Mercer grounder, but Marte popped up a bunt and McCutchen and Polanco hit grounders. Hurdle said the bunt was Marte’s decision.

“I’m not going to second-guess my players publicly ever,” Hurdle said. “I know it’s hard to bunt [against] a guy who throws almost 100 mph. … It’s hard to ever tell a player when he says, ‘I’m trying to help you win the game,’ that he might have done the wrong thing.”

Relievers Daniel Hudson, Felipe Rivero and Juan Nicasio were perfect in the eighth, ninth and 11th, respectively. In between, closer Tony Watson loaded the bases with two outs in the 10th before getting Andrew Benintendi — the hero of the Red Sox’s 5-3 win in the opener — on a chopper to second base.

In a similar jam in the 12th, Bastardo couldn’t find the exit.

*

Leon homers to end Boston's 3-0, 12-inning win over Pirates

BOSTON -- Sandy Leon prolonged the game with a baserunning mistake in the third inning.

When Boston's catcher came up in the 12th, he ended it.

Leon hit a three-run homer -- the first walkoff of his career -- and Chris Sale pitched seven innings of three- hit ball in his Red Sox debut to lead Boston to a 3-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night.

"It's nice to get the win. All the better to walk it off. It's special," said Sale, who was Boston's big acquisition of the offseason. "If you told me tonight it was going to be 0-0 in the 12th, I probably would have given you a crazy look."

Leon also doubled in the third inning but got thrown out at the plate after running through third base coach Brian Butterfield's stop sign. It was scoreless into the bottom of the 12th, when Antonio Bastardo (0-1) walked Jackie Bradley Jr. and Pablo Sandoval with one out.

Leon followed with a drive over the Green Monster to end a cold night for the Red Sox, who also beat Pittsburgh in the season opener on Monday.

"He certainly redeemed himself with the final swing tonight," manager John Farrell said.

Joe Kelly (1-0), the sixth Red Sox pitcher, earned the victory with two innings of one-hit relief as the Red Sox won their seventh straight interleague game at Fenway Park. The Pirates did not get a runner past first base.

"I'm not going to overcook this thing," Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said. "That one swing makes it look bigger than it was, but there wasn't a lot of separation."

SALE OF THE CENTURY

Sale, who walked one and struck out seven, was acquired from the Chicago White Sox for a package of minor leaguers that included No. 1 prospect Yoan Moncada. He gave the Red Sox a rotation that included two Cy Young winners and three All-Stars.

"He was nasty," said Leon, who had three hits. "He was mixing his pitches, getting ahead in the count. He was fun to catch."

CLOSE CALLS

Jameson Taillon matched Sale's shutout for seven innings, allowing five hits while walking three and striking out six.

The Red Sox did threaten against him in the third, when Leon was thrown out at the plate by Andrew McCutchen, who had moved from center field to right this season. Newly acquired first baseman Mitch Moreland also hit a ball deep in the fourth, but McCutchen caught it at the short bullpen wall.

"I knew the wall was close," he said. "But I didn't realize how close until I hit it."

Boston loaded the bases with two outs in the 10th, thanks in part to a single by Leon, but Pirates closer Tony Watson retired opening day hero Andrew Benintendi on a weak grounder to second to end the inning.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Red Sox: OF Mookie Betts missed the game with the flu. Brock Holt and Robbie Ross were also stricken with a bug. ... David Price threw long toss from 100 feet and also made about 25 pitches from a mound. "The most encouraging thing is every throwing session he goes through, he comes out feeling good physically," manager John Farrell said. ... Bradley clutched his left leg after getting spiked on a stolen base in the 12th, but he remained in the game. Afterward, he said his leg was "great."

UP NEXT

Pirates: RHP Chad Kuhl (5-4 in 2016) will pitch the series finale.

Red Sox: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (3-7 last season) makes his 2017 debut in the matinee game.