BOSTON -- Chris Sale is no stranger to pitching in crucial postseason games for the Red Sox.

In 2018, the lefty led his team into October with a Game 1 win over the Yankees in the American League Division Series. In Game 4 of the same series, Sale came out of the bullpen for a scoreless eighth. And his most memorable postseason moment came two rounds later, closing out Game 5 of the World Series with three strikeouts.

Three years later, Sale once again finds himself getting the ball in a pivotal postseason game for the Red Sox. Following Boston¡¯s 9-2 loss to Houston in Game 4 at Fenway Park, manager Alex Cora announced Sale would start Game 5 on Wednesday with the series tied at two apiece.

¡°We all know what we got ahead of us and the series tied 2-2,¡± Sale said. ¡°Big game, obviously, tomorrow and going back to Houston [is] guaranteed now. So taking this last one at home right before we get on that plane and head down to Houston will be big.¡±

In two postseason outings this year, Sale has pitched just 3 2/3 innings and compiled an uncharacteristic 14.73 ERA. Comparatively, the lefty owned a 4.11 ERA in five outings (three starts) during the entirety of the 2018 postseason. Despite the inflated numbers, Sale¡¯s teammates have nothing but confidence in sending the lefty to the mound in a swing game.

¡°We can't ask for anybody else we would rather have on the mound than Chris tomorrow,¡± Nathan Eovaldi said, ¡°and he has been working hard in between each start. He is feeling good. His mechanics are feeling better. I think we're going to have a great game tomorrow, and he is going to come out. He lives up to the pressure. I mean, he enjoys it. He likes it. He likes going out there and being that guy for us, and he is going to be ready to go.¡±

Since making his season debut on Aug. 14, Sale¡¯s most noticeable struggle in his return from Tommy John surgery has come with his changeup. In Game 2 of the ALDS against Tampa Bay, Sale threw the pitch just once and instead relied on his fastball and slider, both of which the Rays successfully jumped on. Though Sale¡¯s next start showed signs of improvement (one run in 2 2/3 innings), the lefty again shied away from his curve, throwing it just four times with no swings and misses.

Sale has been working on mechanical adjustments in between his starts, spending a good chunk of his time getting work in the bullpen. When asked if he¡¯d ever spent this much time in the ¡®pen, Sale replied, ¡°No chance.¡±

¡°I've never been away from the game like I was before,¡± Sale said. ¡°This is crunch time. This isn't, ¡®Let's work back from Tommy John and try to find some stuff.¡¯ We need it now. Look where we're at. I got to put [in] as much work as I can, and I got to do my job.¡±

As far as what the lefty has been working on?

¡°Just my delivery. You know, getting comfortable with it, being able to repeat it a lot,¡± Sale said. ¡°I think that's where a lot of my inconsistencies have come, not being able to repeat that. A lot of dry throws, a lot of heavy bullpen sessions, stuff like that. Just the more repetition I can get, the better off I'm going to be.¡±

Another new variable for Sale in this outing? Game 5 will be his first postseason outing at Fenway Park this year -- and his first since a four-inning start in Game 1 of the 2018 World Series. Though Fenway has long had a reputation for its October atmosphere, this year in particular has rivaled postseasons past in terms of crowd noise and energy.

¡°This crowd is everything to us,¡± Sale said. ¡°Our fans are -- they mean a lot to us, and they know we love them, and we know they love us. This entire postseason they've been bringing it. I know they're going to do everything for us tomorrow.¡±