When Chris Sale got home last year after pitching in the playoffs for the first time in his career, he made a beeline to Florida Gulf Coast University for his annual end-of-season debriefing with his college coach.
And this time, the ace lefty had a specific issue to discuss.
For three-quarters of his first season with the Boston Red Sox, Sale looked so dominant he inspired comparisons to peak-level Pedro Martinez in Randy Johnson's body. He struck out 10 or more batters in 16 of his first 24 starts, including eight in a row, and completed at least seven innings 18 times over that span.