ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Most applause at Tropicana Field is scattered applause and that is what Chris Sale received from some early arriving Red Sox fans when he left the dugout to start his warm-up routine on Tuesday night.
It had been nine months since Sale last pitched in a major league game, a fractured rib putting him on the injured list coming out of spring training.
The Sox have become accustomed to not having their erstwhile ace. Injuries have caused Sale to miss far more starts than he has made the last three seasons.
That made Tuesday a satisfying comeback — and throwback — for Sale. The stick-figure lefty pitched five shutout innings against Tampa Bay, throwing his fastball with more life than the one he featured last season coming off Tommy John surgery.
Sale even outdueled his old American League Central rival Corey Kluber, who allowed two runs over six innings.
“Nasty. He was nasty today,” catcher Christian Vazquez said. “That’s the Chris everybody knows.”
And these are the Red Sox of July, a team that finds ways to lose.
Atrocious defense and base running led to a 3-2 setback, spoiling Sale’s return.
In theory, having Sale back at the head of the rotation would make the Red Sox a dangerous team in the postseason. But they have lost six of their last eight games and are far closer to the last-place Orioles than the first-place Yankees.
A roster of ill-fitting parts was exposed in the sixth inning when inexperienced first baseman Franchy Cordero made a wild throw to allow the lead run to score.
Then, with the Sox down a run, Alex Verdugo was picked off third base for the first out of the seventh inning.
“I wish it ended a little bit different, but part of it,” Sale said.
Sale’s first major league game since Game 5 of the American League Championship Series last Oct. 20 had a comical start when he accidentally dropped his Pitch Com device on his way to the mound.
After realizing he couldn’t hear the signal from Vazquez in his cap, Sale walked over to the third base line and sheepishly retrieved the thin speaker.
“Oh, man. First-timer, rookie move,” Sale said. “I get out there and he’s like pushing the buttons and it fell out of my hat before I went out there. Nice little circus act before we get going.”
Sale, by the way, heartily approves of Pitch Com. That was a bit of a surprise given his traditional sensibilities.
“I think it’s great. I love it,” he said. “It’s only going to get better.”
What followed was not quite vintage Sale but certainly a good approximation as he allowed three hits with one walk and five strikeouts.
There were only four swings and misses within the 78 pitches Sale threw. But he fired 68 percent of his pitches for strikes and his signature slider was effective.
“He was spotting everything down and away,” Vazquez said.
Sale averaged 95.1 miles-per-hour with his four-seam fastball, well above the 93.6 he averaged last season. Sale’s last fastball of the night was 96.9 mph.
“I felt better as it went on,” he said. “Being able to have my best stuff, my powerful stuff, feeling strong in the fourth and fifth innings, that’s nice.”
Sale acknowledged that he felt better on the mound than in any of his nine starts last season.
“Not even close,” he said.
Pitchers who return from Tommy John often say that it’s not until the second season back when they regain their pre-surgery velocity and command.
If Tuesday was an indication, Sale will be the best player the Red Sox add before the trade deadline.
Just before the game started, Vazquez pulled Sale aside and said this was a special day for the organization and for his teammates to have him on the mound again.
“It means a lot for us to see him there,” Vazquez said.
Sale appreciated his catcher, saying the words moved him.
“What he said meant a lot and I just kind of carried that through the game,” he said.
There will be no extra rest for Sale. He’s scheduled to face the Yankees on Sunday afternoon in the Bronx in the final game before the All-Star break.
“Nothing better than pitching at Yankee Stadium. It’ll be a good one,” Sale said. “We’ll be ready.”
Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at peteabeglobe.bsky.social.