Red Sox lefty Chris Sale was not happy his rehab outing in Worcester on Wednesday night, and that frustration boiled over after he left the game, as he violently tore a television off the wall in the dugout hallway at Polar Park.

A video shows Sale walking into the dugout tunnel before wrestling, smashing and kicking a TV. He then walks hastily back into the dugout.

“I acted like an idiot last night, I’ve acted like an idiot before. I do it in the dugout and I’ve been told through the years ‘hey take it to the tunnel,’” Sale said on Thursday. “You think you’re in a safe space, you think that you’re in private. That’s a place you’re not supposed to really have cameras, there’s no public access to that, so I thought I was in a safer spot, but it is what it is. That’s who I am, it’s what makes me a big leaguer, it makes me good at my job. It might not be the best for the public eye, but what is? Who’s perfect? Name them. I’d love to shake his hand.”

As for the video and the public’s reaction, Sale said people can think whatever they want about him, but he won’t apologize for being who he is.

“I don’t care man, that’s their problem for videoing it. If you want me to act like a normal person, then treat me like a normal person; this isn’t like a normal atmosphere,” Sale said. “If I was at Bank of America, it wouldn’t fly, but we’re not at the Bank of America. This is sports, this is leverage, this is pressure. I take a lot of pride in what I do.”

Sale rejoined the Red Sox after Wednesday’s outing and Manager Alex Cora said his next start will be Tuesday. While he wouldn’t commit 100%, Cora indicated there’s a good chance Sale’s next outing will be his season debut against Tampa Bay.

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Sale pitched well in a rehab start for the Portland Sea Dogs on June 30. Over four innings, Sale used all three of his pitches – fastball, slider, and changeup – allowing four hits and one earned run while striking out seven and walking none. Sale threw 52 pitches, 36 for strikes, and had only hitter reach a three-ball count.

But on Wednesday in Worcester he issued five walks and allowed a run on three hits in 32/3 innings. He struck out five and threw 72 pitches (42 strikes).

“I feel like I’ve gone months without walking five guys, especially for a final tune-up start,” Sale said. “I expect a lot out of myself. I expect to be who I am, and if that doesn’t work out, sometimes emotions take over the best.”

The television took the brunt of the damage, and got no sympathy from Cora.

“Great. Love it. If you’re going to rehab, do it the right way. He’s going to get upset here, too, not a big deal,” said Cora. “It is what it is, he is who he is, he’s not the only guy whose done that, but this is the world we live in.

“He paid for the TV, right? By the way, the TV was already broken, so the player who broke it before, who actually did the damage, he got off the hook.”

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Sale told reporters that the outing represented a “hiccup.” His final batter drew a bases-loaded walk, which might have prompted the outburst.

“I had the best fastball, the best slider and the best changeup tonight, just not consistently,” Sale said. “That’s not going to fly in the big leagues. I need to clean that up, obviously, this next week in the bullpen and stuff like that. I’m excited for that task. It was there, I just have to work on the consistency. That’s what I’m here for, to get reps. I just needed it to click, and it never clicked.”

BRAYAN BELLO, a day after making his major league debut at Fenway Park, received another opportunity to take the field at a historic ballpark when he was named to the American League roster for the All-Star Futures Game, which will be played July 16 at Dodger Stadium.

Bello, who started his season in Double-A with the Sea Dogs, joins Portland outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela, who was named to the team Wednesday. Bello also played for the AL in last year’s game in Colorado.

Bello’s much-anticipated major league debut did not go as planned. He gave up four runs on six hits while walking three in four innings. The Red Sox lost, 7-1, to the Rays. It’s unclear what Bello’s immediate future holds, as the Red Sox could option him back to Triple-A. If he is in the big leagues during the All-Star break, he won’t be eligible to pitch in the Futures Game.

“It was a unique experience. I was very happy to be out there. Every pitch, every batter was very emotional for me to be out there,” Bello said through an interpreter. “It’s not going to be the last time for me to be out there.”

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Bello’s sinker averaged close to 97 mph with great movement, and his changeup was so nifty that the ballpark pitch reader kept confusing it with his sinker despite being 8-10 mph slower on average.

He’s also an impressive fielder, starting a 1-4-3 double play to get out of a difficult first inning before later making a tough throw on a ball in front of the mound to get Yandy Diaz in the fourth.

The issue was his command. Bello, who has only walked 33 batters in 85 minor league innings this spring, couldn’t effectively locate any of his pitches. He also seemed to be rushing his delivery, but after the game he insisted he wasn’t affected by nerves.

“I wasn’t nervous at all, just trying to be too selective, and that’s not how I am,” Bello said via a translator.

“I like to be aggressive, so that was the key.”


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