A familiar face to Boston Red Sox fans returned to his usual dominance on Saturday.

Chris Sale hadn’t pitched since June 18, but the Atlanta Braves ace hit the ground running in his first start off the injured list. Returning from a fractured left rib cage , Sale held the Philadelphia Phillies to three hits and one run over six strong innings.

The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner tallied nine strikeouts to just one walk in a 3-2 loss.

Sale registered a 3.27 ERA and 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings during his Red Sox tenure, but injuries limited him to a combined 151 innings over his last three seasons. Boston traded him to Atlanta for Vaughn Grissom before the 2024 campaign.

While Grissom batted .190 in 31 games last season, Sale returned to peak form with a 2.38 ERA an

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