Chris Sale is one of the best pitchers of his generation, and even if his career had come to an end after his stint with the Boston Red Sox, that would still be true. But the 34-year-old lefty has done something this season that not many expected.
When Sale was traded to the Braves from Boston before this season, the veteran lefty was seen as a great complement to hard-throwing ace Spencer Strider. Strider, who came into the season as one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, is expected to miss the entire 2024 season after undergoing elbow surgery, leaving Sale and Max Fried to man the team’s rotation.
But with Fried’s injuries, among many others on Atlanta’s roster throughout the year, the responsibility of carrying the team’s production fell to Sale, something he hadn’t done in quite some time.
Sale proved throughout the first half that he could not only lead a rotation again when Strider and Fried were injured, but the question was whether he could stay healthy enough to be dominant again. Even with injuries to his teammates piling up, Sale has not spent a day on the injured list for the first time in seven years.
And finally, by being able to stay on the field, Sale has reminded many just how good he can be when he’s at his best. The eight-time All-Star is 18-3 with a minuscule 2.37 ERA and 225 strikeouts, which puts him at No. 1 in MLB in all three categories. He’s on pace to win the NL triple crown in wins, ERA and strikeouts. It’s also the first time since 2017 that Sale will pitch more than 177 innings and he’s reached the 200-strikeout plateau for the first time since 2018.
No one knew what to expect when Sale was acquired. While the name carried a lot of weight, the production of one of the league’s best hadn’t been up to par in recent years. But an older, wiser Sale has figured out how to stay healthy and on the field for a full season. In the past, that’s been difficult for him and other elite starters in baseball.
Sale has finished in the top five in Cy Young Award voting on six different occasions, with a runner-up finish the year he struck out 308 in 2017. One week removed from capturing the first full-season pitching Triple Crown since Justin Verlander (AL) and Clayton Kershaw (NL) in 2011, Sale is on the cusp of finally winning that elusive first Cy Young Award.
Not only has this season put Sale back in the conversation about being one of the best pitchers in baseball, but it has definitely put him back on track for Cooperstown. With his first Cy Young Award on the way, the Braves ace would not only have the biggest individual accomplishment for a pitcher, but also a World Series title on his resume.
After dominating for over a decade during his time with the White Sox and Red Sox, the ultimate milestone on Sale’s bucket list would be the illustrious 3,000 strikeouts. Sale currently has 2,414 strikeouts, which is well within reach, especially if he continues to pitch at this elite level.
Sale’s Cy Young season will go down in history as one of the most improbable we’ve seen in baseball in recent memory. Not because he’s never been capable or even close to being one, but because at this point in his career, those days seemed to be behind him. But this version of Sale is proving not only that he can still perform at a high level, but that he’s not going to slow down anytime soon.