Red Sox's Chris Sale Hospitalized with Stomach Illness; Will Stay Overnight

Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale was admitted to Massachusetts General Hospital on Sunday due to a stomach illness, according to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe.

He is expected to stay overnight for observation.

Sale started Game 1 of the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros on Saturday night, allowing two runs in four innings of an eventual 7-2 loss.

The pitcher certainly hasn't disappointed during his time in Boston when healthy. In 2017, he went 17-8 with a 2.90 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and a career-high 308 strikeouts in a career-best 214.1 innings. He finished second in the AL Cy Young voting behind Cleveland's Corey Kluber. 

He hasn't missed a beat in 2018, going 12-4 with a 2.11 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 237 strikeouts in 158 innings during the regular season.

While mild left shoulder inflammation cost him two trips to the disabled list in August, the seven-time All-Star has generally been healthy and about as unhittable as any pitcher in baseball during his time with the Red Sox. Sale, frankly, is irreplaceable for Boston.

And he wasn't pleased to be away from the team in August.

"Obviously terrible timing, not exactly the most ideal situation," he said at the time, per the Associated Press (via USA Today). "To be honest, quite miserable for me. But, at the same time, I'm not going to sit around and pout. I'm going to keep my chin up. I'm on the best team that ever walked the planet. I've good teammates that have my back, and I appreciate that."

If Sale misses his next start, Boston can turn to Eduardo Rodriguez to join Rick Porcello, David Price and Nathan Eovaldi in the rotation.

The Red Sox have the luxury of one of the best offenses in baseball, and they'll need those bats to help overcome the loss of Sale.