Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale knows that performance-enhancing drugs could have improved his career in a major way over the last few years, however, PED use was never an option since he despises those who take them.
In the previous decade, Chris Sale was one of the very best pitchers on the planet. He won 17 games three times during a run where he earned All-Star honors for seven straight seasons and was a consistent vote-getter for American League Cy Young.
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However, it all changed in 2020 when he needed to undergo Tommy John surgery. In the two seasons after missing a year of action, he has only made 11 starts as he has constantly battled injuries and bad luck. His injury woes aren’t necessarily shocking later in his career because players with a wiry frame like his have often had difficulties long-term in combating the rigors of the sport.
Certainly, PED use could have kept him on the field more often, and the Boston Red Sox starter admitted as much during a recent appearance on the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast this week.
“I would’ve been the perfect candidate my entire career to do [PEDs]. You know, everyone said I wasn’t built to last,” Sale said.
However, he claims PEDs were never an option since he has a deep disdain for fellow athletes that use them and gain their advantages. The 12-year veteran admits the benefits of PEDs are beyond just stats and have a huge effect on recovery. Something he could have used help with over the last few years, but even then the act of taking enhancers “p***es” him off too much to ever seriously consider them.
“Your arm feels just amazing after two or three days off, and you feel 100% every time out. That’s just not fair. On top of that, now I’m going through some injuries. Tommy John, some of these other things, and it’s like HGH would’ve helped me out tremendously in a short period of time. Obviously, in the long-term, there are long-term effects. I would never recommend anybody doing this ever.
“But if I was just a cheater and selfish and whatever, I could’ve done those things over this period of time, and I would’ve been stronger, I would’ve come back quicker, I would’ve felt better, and so on and so forth. So when I see other people doing that that don’t even need it, it pisses me off.”
– Chris Sale
Sale has already made a start in Boston Red Sox spring training and looks on track to be ready for the start of the season on March 30.