BOSTON -- Chris Sale had pitched in Fenway Park before. Six times, to be exact, over the past seven seasons with the Chicago White Sox. Seven, actually, if you count a relief appearance in the Cape Cod League All-Star Game as an amateur in 2009.

But he never experienced anything quite like what awaited him when he got to the bullpen before the game Wednesday night.

"I noticed when he was warming up, he would stop a couple times and just look around," Boston Red Sox pitching coach Carl Willis said. "And in the bullpen, obviously a lot of fans came by and gave him well-wishes. It was pretty neat. I think there was a lot of energy to it."

Indeed, it was Chris Sale Night in Boston. Even with LeBron James playing across town against the Celtics, even amid the bite of a 40-degree game-time chill, an announced crowd of more than 36,000 people wedged into Fenway to glimpse the ace lefty slicing and dicing the Pittsburgh Pirates in his Red Sox debut after what felt like years of the team flirting with him in trade rumors.

Chris Sale was pumped during his Red Sox debut, striking out seven in seven scoreless innings. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

And Sale didn't disappoint. He tossed seven shutout innings in a duel with Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Jameson Taillon in a game that wasn't decided until catcher Sandy Leon swatted a three-run home run into the seats atop the Green Monster in the 12th inning to snap a scoreless game and give the Red Sox a 3-0 victory.

Sale described it as "special," and he was referring to the entire night -- from the anticipation leading up to his first pitch, to the seven "K" cards (one for each strikeout) that were posted on a railing next to the camera well in left-center field, to the standing ovation after the seventh inning, to, of course, Leon's blast that brought the parka-clad Red Sox spilling out of the dugout.

As debuts go, Sale's performance was right up there with any high-profile pitcher the Red Sox have imported over the past 20 years. In fact, his final line -- 7 innings, 3 hits, zero runs, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts -- was eerily similar to Pedro Martinez's first Red Sox start in 1998, when he held the Oakland Athletics scoreless on 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 11.

"I get nervous before every game. Tonight was a little bit different," Sale said. "I tried to go through my normal routine and do everything I normally do but also soak it all in at the same time. Walking out to the bullpen today before I even threw my first warm-up pitch, people were losing their minds. Walking off in the seventh inning, that's another feeling I'll never forget. That's awesome. And I appreciate it."

Sale channeled that passion in the first inning. His first three pitches were all fastballs in every sense of the word, clocked at 96, 97 and 98, respectively. After getting leadoff man Jordy Mercer to ground weakly to shortstop, he registered his first strikeout on a wicked slider that nearly hit righty-swinging Starling Marte in the foot.

David Freese notched the Pirates' first hit, a one-out single in the second inning. Only three other batters reached base against Sale, none advancing beyond first. The Pirates didn't put a runner into scoring position all night, in fact, against six Red Sox pitchers.

"I think what we saw tonight is similar to the things we saw in spring training," Willis said. "He can pitch a power game. He can go get 97. But I think more than anything else, it's his ability to throttle it down and use his off-speed pitches and the confidence he has, regardless of the count, to throw the changeup, the sinker, the slider. That's pitching."

Putting it more simply, Leon said, "He's nasty. It's really fun to catch him."

Sale is hardly the first big-name pitcher the Red Sox have acquired in the past 20 years. There was Curt Schilling in 2004 and Josh Beckett in 2006, Daisuke Matsuzaka and his mythical gyroball in 2007, John Lackey in 2010, Rick Porcello in 2015 and $217 million-man David Price last year.

But the buzz over Sale is downright Pedro-esque. Maybe it's the fact the Red Sox were linked to Sale long before they actually pulled off a blockbuster trade for him in December. Or perhaps it's his size (6-foot-6 and thin as a beanpole) or his unique delivery that accents a ridiculous 82-inch wingspan.

It could also be his no-nonsense attitude. Sale pitched in short sleeves Wednesday night despite the 40-degree temperature at first pitch. He doesn't bother with Twitter or Facebook, but rather gives off a vibe that he doesn't give a hoot about anything. After the trade, Chicago White Sox assistant general manager Buddy Bell told ESPN.com that Sale "has never really cared about anything other than his teammates and just getting people out."

"You love the way Chris Sale goes about his work," Red Sox manager John Farrell said after seeing it up close in a game that counted.

You get the sense Fenway Park will be filled every time Sale takes the mound, his starts taking on the feeling of must-see events.

In time, Sale will get used to it, even if Red Sox fans never do.