Pokémon lairs, autographed cards and custom gloves...
Key takeaways
- "I'll be completely honest with you," Sale said.
- Earlier that year, Sale's brother-in-law, Rob Aron, was cleaning out his parents' house and stumbled upon a treasure trove: a binder of old Pokémon cards and some unopened packs.
- He would not leave that question unanswered this time.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
Dodgers reliever Will Klein shows off his Pokémon card glove. Here's how the hobby has swept MLB baseball. Will Klein via Instagram Jeff Passan May 26, 2026, 07:00 AM ETMultiple Authors Email Print Open Extended Reactions On the shelf with another injury, frustrated to the point he wondered whether he would ever play Major League Baseball again, Chris Sale spent the end of his 2022 season trying to find something to take his mind off his misfortune. Over the previous five months, he had fractured a rib, a pinky and a wrist in three separate freak incidents, leaving him unable to golf, shoot guns or even play video games let alone pitch.
"I'll be completely honest with you," Sale said. "I was losing it."
Earlier that year, Sale's brother-in-law, Rob Aron, was cleaning out his parents' house and stumbled upon a treasure trove: a binder of old Pokémon cards and some unopened packs. When Aron shared his spoils with Sale's three sons, it reminded Sale of how he felt between 1998 and 2000, the height of the Pokémon craze, when baseball and soccer teammates would bring their binders into the dugout, share stories and trade cards, leaving Sale, a non-collector, wondering what he was missing.