Before the 2024 MLB season, Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale’s future was in doubt. Sale entered his age 35 season, his first with Atlanta, after his seven-year tenure with the Boston Red Sox ended with a poor 2023 season. The left-handed pitcher sought a career revival in Atlanta, and he found just that. Sale led the National League in ERA, strikeouts, WAR and wins en route to his first career Cy Young Award. It was the best season of Sale’s career and he made the All-Star Game for the first time since 2018, when he won the World Series with Boston. Sale also won his first career Gold Glove in 2024 and made the All-MLB First Team.

Sale’s career resurgence was unexpected given the way his time with the Red Sox ended. After winning the World Series in 2018, Sale struggled to end his time in Boston. Sale posted his two worst career ERAs in 2019 and 2023, 4.40 and 4.30, respectively, and had his 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons cut short by injury. He pitched just 48.1 combined innings across those three seasons. After a grueling five-year stretch, Boston dealt Sale to Atlanta before the 2024 season-a move that proved to be a turning point in his career. The Braves took a low-risk chance on Sale last offseason, a gamble that paid off for both sides.

Now, Sale enters 2025 with much higher expectations. He’ll begin the season as Atlanta’s No. 1 starting pitcher after starting last season as the third man in the Braves’ rotation. Sale will start on Opening Day against the San Diego Padres in a rematch of the 2024 NL Wild Card Series, which Sale missed due to a back injury. Michael King will start for San Diego in Thursday’s opener.

Not only is Sale the Braves’ No. 1 pitcher, but he is also considered a favorite to repeat as the NL Cy Young winner. Earlier this month, MLB.com listed Sale as one of the five favorites to win the award in the National League. MLB.com writers ranked Sale as the third most likely pitcher to win the NL Cy Young, behind Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes and Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies. Last year began with little to no expectations, but Sale has pressure to perform in 2025.

Along with individual pressure, Sale and the Braves have lofty team expectations. Atlanta saw its streak of NL East championships snapped at six seasons last year, as the Phillies took the division crown. It will be a tall task for the Braves to return to the top of the division with the NL East being one of the most competitive divisions in baseball. While the Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals are rebuilding, the Phillies and New York Mets join the Braves as championship contenders in the division. The Braves will need Sale to deliver another elite season if they hope to contend for a World Series title. In a tough division with plenty of star power, shutdown pitching from Sale could be the key to Atlanta’s title hopes.