BOSTON -- As of Sunday, the only thing that Red Sox manager Alex Cora had decided for sure about his starting rotation was that ace Chris Sale will start Game 1.
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David Price started Game 2 in each of the first two rounds, but Nathan Eovaldi has been arguably Boston's best starting pitcher in this postseason. Rick Porcello is the other starter in Cora's four-man October rotation.
Sale continues to feel better by the day, a week after he was hospitalized with a stomach illness.
"He's good to go," Cora said. "He's our Game 1 starter. I think everything works out for a reason, and Game 5 [of the ALCS] happened and he gets a few more off-days so he can take care of his belly button, and he'll be ready to go."
The "belly button" comment was a joke in reference to Sale mockingly saying on Saturday that his stomach problem was related to a belly button ring causing irritation.
"But he's ready to go," Cora said. "He's excited to pitch Game 1. He's been our guy since Day 1. Obviously, the other guys did an outstanding job, but him pitching that game, it's something we mapped out through September. This was the plan all along. Happy that he's going to be able to go out there and perform."