With the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves facing off in a three-game series at Fenway Park, it has brought an old friend back to town. Red Sox fans will have the opportunity to see nine-time All-Star Chris Sale pitch at Fenway Park on Thursday afternoon against Payton Tolle. Boston fans remember Sale well. He spent seven years with the franchise and had a run where he looked like the most dominant pitcher in the game before injuries derailed the end of his stint with the team. Boston traded Sale to the Braves before the 2024 season for Vaughn Grissom in a failed deal. Sale won the National League Cy Young Award in his first season in Atlanta and has been relatively healthy ever since. Grissom was traded to the Los Angeles Angels after a short stint in town. An unlucky deal, to say the least.While Sale no longer is in Boston, he has still been paying attention, clearly. He spoke to WEEI's Rob Bradford and said that he was "as shocked as everybody was" about the firing of former manager Alex Cora. The Former Red Sox Ace SpokeApr 20, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora signs a baseball for a fan prior to a game against the Detroit Tigers at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images"I think I was probably just as shocked as everybody was,” Sale said to Bradford. “You know, anytime something like that happens, it kind of sends waves throughout the baseball world. So, yeah, I would definitely say it shocked me."That's not all, though. He continued on and noted that despite the fact that he has been in Atlanta over the last few years, Cora remains someone he has talked to "as much as anybody.""I’ve said this, it doesn’t matter how old you are, or where you’re from," Sale continued. "You can be from Japan, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mississippi, Washington, Florida, whatever. He will find a way to connect with you. It’s my third year here in Atlanta, and even over the last three years, I have talked to him as much as anybody. Through the offseason, he will shoot me a text or after a game or something like that. ... He does a really good job of connecting with each individual person, no matter who they are, or where they are from." The firing of Cora and the handful of other coaches that were let go will hang over the organization until the club can get back on track in the win column. Boston took down the Braves on Wednesday, but is still 23-31 on the season and in last place in the American League East. Interim manager Chad Tracy has done a solid job on the fly since taking over, but there hasn't been some monumental shift for the organization. When you hear stories, like this from Sale, it certainly makes the firing of Cora look interesting. If you had a guy who was clearly so beloved by current and former members of the organization and is viewed highly enough around the league that he was offered the Philadelphia Phillies job days after his firing, why do you make that move? If Boston can turn things around in the standings, the noise will get quieter, but right now the club is still under a microscope.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow