Chris Sale got a whole lot more than simply a fresh start in his first season with the Atlanta Braves.
Instead, the former Florida Gulf Coast University star pitcher reminded the Major League Baseball world just how dominant he can be when healthy, posting one of the best individual seasons of his career and winning his first Cy Young Award.
Sale became the first pitcher in Braves’ history to win the pitching triple crown, leading the National League in wins (18), ERA (2.38), and strikeouts (225). However, following four injury-plagued seasons with the Boston Red Sox, perhaps most encouraging for the left-hander was his 177 2/3 innings pitched, the most since 2017 when he helped power Boston to a World Series title.
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At the Baseball Writers’ Association of America Awards in January, Sale, who also won NL Comeback Player of the Year honors, said the struggles that marked the final years of his time with the Red Sox made last season’s success even sweeter.
“I definitely appreciated it a lot more because of what I’d been through,” Sale said. “It was a fun ride. I had a really good time getting to know Atlanta and my teammates. Looking forward to another good year.”
Ironically, Sale, who will turn 36 in March, was one of the few stars on the Braves who didn’t suffer a long-term injury in 2024. Ace starter Spencer Strider injured his elbow in his first start and missed the rest of the year. Star outfielder Ronald Acuna tore the ACL in his right knee in May. All-Star third baseman Austin Riley broke his hand in August. In fact, six of the 10 members of the Braves’ opening-day starting lineup suffered long-term injuries and played just six total innings together all season.
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Sale, however, was a consistent and effective presence for Atlanta and got better as the season progressed. Still, as well as things were going, he said he made it a point to take things one game and start at a time.
“You can’t get too far ahead of yourself because when you think you’re going good and think everything’s great, it can all come crashing down,” he said. “So I just tried to stay in the moment and approach each start the same and with the same goals. All that other stuff works itself out at the end of the year but you can’t get caught up in it while you’re doing it.”
Despite all their injuries, the Braves made it to the MLB postseason as a wild card but were eliminated in two straight games by the San Diego Padres. Sale, who missed his final start of the regular season and the wild card round with back spasms, said Atlanta is primed for a deeper playoff run in 2025.
“If we can just stay healthy and everyone does what they’re capable of doing, we’ve got as good a shot as anybody,” said Sale, who’s in the final year of a two-year, $38 million contract with the Braves. “We’ve got some good pitching in our organization. We’ve got a hell of a lineup when they’re all in there and clicking. I like where we’re at.”
Sale, who makes his offseason home in Naples, continues to maintain a tight connection with FGCU. That was in evidence at the BBWAA awards with Sale ensuring that Eagles baseball coach Dave Tollett was there in person to receive the pitcher’s gratitude for “taking a chance and a tall, skinny punk from Lakeland.”
“He had such a big impact on me and my baseball career,” Sale said of Tollett. “(FGCU) was really where I made myself into a Major League Baseball player through his guidance, his help, his regimen, and everything else. It was a really special moment to have him there with me.”
Sale closed his acceptance speech with some advice for young athletes facing adversity: “Never give up, never back down, keep fighting.”
It’s a lesson Sale has learned well during his stellar MLB career and one he hopes continues to pay dividends.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Chris Sale looking to follow up on Cy Young season with Atlanta Braves
