Photo Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn/ USA TODAY Sports
Things are not going smoothly for the Chicago White Sox behind closed doors. Team general manager Rick Hahn announced in a statement today that their pitching ace Chris Sale would be suspended for five days, “for violating team rules, for insubordination and for destroying team equipment”. Sale was scratched before Chicago’s game against the Detroit Tigers and many assumed a trade could be in the works, however, the team is calling it a “clubhouse incident”.
Sale was angered when he learned prior to Saturday’s game that the team would be wearing the team’s 1976 throwback jerseys. Complaining that the jerseys are uncomfortable for him to pitch in, Sale allegedly began cutting up the team’s uniforms while his teammates were out on the field taking batting practice. After being confronted by a member of Chicago’s front office, the team decided it would be best to send their starting pitcher home.
Sale’s clubhouse breakdown is hard to comprehend as fans who see players making millions of dollars to play the sport. It does not help that a five-day “suspension” for a pitcher basically means he can stay home until his next start. The suspension runs through Wednesday and he is eligible to pitch on Thursday against the Cubs. While the team claims that the starting pitcher for Thursday’s game is still to be determined, there is not much of a chance Sale does not get the start. Both he and the team will want to put the incident behind them. Sale is a leader of this team despite the incessant trade rumors surrounding him. He got off to a spectacular start this season with a 14-3 win record and 3.18 ERA.
