Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale is coming off of one of the best seasons of his illustrious career. No one expected the eight-time All-Star to win his first Cy Young Award with the Braves after an injury-riddled stint with the Red Sox. However, that is exactly what he did much to the chagrin of Boston fans.
Sale obviously hopes to continue that success with the Braves in 2025 as the staff ace especially now that Max Fried has moved on. Was last year a fluke or was it a resurgence? Only time will tell. However, the southpaw has looked great so far this spring.
Chris Sale pays homage to a Red Sox legend in recent spring start
The love Sale had for the Red Sox organization was on display in his fourth start of the spring. Atlanta faced Boston on Saturday afternoon and on the first pitch of the game, the former Boston pitcher paid tribute to Red Sox legend Luis Tiant.
We'd recognize that twisting wind-up anywhere 🥹
Chris Sale opened the game with a nod to Red Sox legend Luis Tiant ❤️ pic.twitter.com/UgLVgkcqol
— NESN (@NESN) March 15, 2025
Tiant is a three-time MLB All-Star Tiant who pitched 19 seasons (eight of them with Boston). He sadly passed away last October at the age of 83. He also pitched for the Guardians, Yankees, Twins, Pirates, and Angels.
The veteran was known for an iconic wind-up where he put his hands over his head and twisted before delivering the ball. Tiant won 229 games with a 3.30 ERA and 2,416 strikeouts. Sale’s tribute was fitting as he faced an organization that he loved being a part of.
Sale sits at 2,414 career strikeouts which is 39th most in MLB history. He will surpass Tiant on the all-time strikeouts list this season and I’m sure that will be a huge honor for him. Once Atlanta’s ace reaches the 2,416 K mark, he will look to pass Andy Pettite and Jamie Moyer who sit at 46th and 47th respectively on that list.
It was a touching tribute and shows just how great of a person Sale is. He went on to pitch a great game for the Braves. He completed six innings, allowing two runs on four hits with one walk and nine strikeouts. Sale’s slider looked to be in mid-season form and fooled Boston hitters with ease.
He ended his day with 83 pitches and that is good to see as the regular season approaches. The Braves will need Sale to be a workhorse this season to make up for the loss of two great arms. Regardless of how he had performed today, it was great to see him pay homage to such a great pitcher.
