Chris Sale reminded everyone Friday night why he’s still one of baseball’s most dominant pitchers.
The Atlanta Braves ace carved up the Texas Rangers for seven scoreless innings, allowing just two hits in a 15-1 blowout at Truist Park. It’s another standout performance in what’s shaping up to be a legitimate Cy Young campaign for the 36-year-old lefty.
Sale’s now sitting pretty with a 2.06 ERA – third-best in all of baseball. Over his last 15 starts, he’s been practically untouchable with a 1.72 ERA that puts him right back in the conversation with the game’s elite arms.
The numbers tell a pretty compelling story about what Sale’s accomplishing at this stage of his career. At 36 years and 362 days old, he became just the 11th pitcher in the modern era to post a sub-2.10 ERA through his first 18 starts at that age or older. That’s some serious company – Cy Young himself did it five times, and Justin Verlander was the most recent to pull it off during his 2022 season.
“I’ve talked about him being a Hall of Famer. He just went to his 10th All-Star Game. He’s doing some really impressive things and putting together a really unbelievable career.”
That’s Braves manager Walt Weiss, and it’s hard to argue with the sentiment.
Sale’s teammates are taking notice too. Drake Baldwin sees firsthand what makes the veteran so tough to face.
“It’s pretty special,” Baldwin said. “He can do a lot of great things and execute them at a high level.”
Here’s something that really puts Sale’s value in perspective: Friday marked the first time a Braves pitcher completed at least seven innings since Sale himself did it against on May 20. He’s not just pitching well – he’s carrying this rotation.
What makes this run even more impressive is how Sale’s bounced back from some injury-plagued seasons to remind everyone why he was considered unhittable for so many years. The slider’s still devastating. The fastball still has that deceptive angle that gives hitters fits.
If Sale keeps this up, Atlanta’s going to have a legitimate ace anchoring their playoff push. And for Sale? Well, another Cy Young Award might be headed his way, which would be a pretty nice addition to what’s already looking like a Hall of Fame resume.
