April 17--DETROIT -- The last time the White Sox visited Detroit tempers flared, benches cleared and managers fired off testy words at each other's teams in the Chris Sale-Victor Martinez binoculars-gate game.
The Sox don't, however, expect there to be a carryover as the teams kick off 2015 play Friday at Comerica Park.
"We're here to play baseball," Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "You guys (the media) can carry on what you want, but we're here to win a game."
Sale will pitch Saturday against the Tigers for the first time since he hit Martinez with a pitch after seemingly indicating that Martinez had someone stealing signs in the outfield by making a binoculars sign with his hands in the dugout. Martinez, who is 15-for-29 with three home runs and six RBIs all-time against Sale, stared Sale down, and the teams cleared into the infield before retiring to the dugout without a fight.
Afterward, Martinez said Avisail Garcia had told him about the sign-stealing suspicions, though Sale denied his actions were about that.
Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said it was "weak on Sale's part" to hit Martinez. Ventura responded the next day, saying Ausmus should worry about his own team. Ventura and Sale also got into a shouting match following the incident.
Ventura said he and Ausmus spoke last year and saw each other in the offseason after the incident and reiterated the Sox were only about baseball Friday.
Sale declined comment to reporters Friday morning, but Sox catcher Tyler Flowers, who caught Sale in his season finale last year, said he doubts anything will pop up about it this weekend.
"I don't think so," Flowers said. "I don't know though. I haven't even heard it brought up until now, so it's not too much on our minds at the moment. I think that was just something in the heat of the battle."
