Braves star Chris Sale got brutally honest on getting “nervous” before games following his first start of 2025 spring training.

The Atlanta Braves are preparing for the 2025 regular season in spring training. Chris Sale, who earned the 2024 National League Cy Young Award, recently made his spring debut. The left-handed ace impressed to say the least, turning in two shutout innings. The Braves ultimately lost the game 3-1 against the San Diego Padres, but it was still a strong way for Sale to begin spring training.

“It’s good to get the first one out of the way,” Sale said following his two innings of work on Friday, via Mark Bowman of MLB.com. “I always get nervous before starts. So, I was pacing [in the clubhouse] and even in between innings — it felt like forever. So, to get off on the right foot was a good feeling.”

The 35-year-old, who is an eight-time All-Star in addition to being a Cy Young winning hurler, admitted to still getting nervous even before and during spring training contests. He clearly still found a way to find success, however.

The Braves are looking for Sale to lead the rotation in 2025. With Max Fried now in New York with the Yankees and Spencer Strider working his way back from injury, Sale is who Atlanta is prepared to rely on as an ace in the rotation.

Sale’s career was seemingly trending in the wrong direction from 2019-2023 with the Boston Red Sox. Between injuries and underperformance, there weren’t many people around the MLB world who would have predicted his resurgent 2024 campaign. The Red Sox traded Sale to the Braves ahead of the ’24 season, though, and the move went even better than expected for Atlanta.

Not only did Sale pitch in 29 games for the first time since 2017, but he recorded a stellar league leading 2.38 ERA. Sale also led the league with 225 strikeouts in what was truly a dominant season. Despite multiple previous top five finishes, Sale had never earned a Cy Young award before joining the Braves. That changed in 2024, though, as the veteran earned the honor for the first time in his career.

Chris Sale will attempt to have another big campaign with the Braves in 2025.