Braves star Chris Sale reacted to his performance after Atlanta’s victory against the Diamondbacks on Friday.

The Atlanta Braves are finding their rhythm after a slow start, and so is Chris Sale. In Friday night’s commanding 8-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks, Sale delivered his strongest outing of the season, flashing signs of the dominant ace who helped anchor Atlanta’s rotation just a year ago.

Sale reflected on the outing, telling the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

“I felt like I was out there competing and not really just battling myself tonight. I wouldn’t exactly say you want to hang your hat on something like tonight. But a step in the right direction, I’m getting a lot of positive feedback and something to move forward with some momentum.”

Sale worked five solid innings, escaping a bases-loaded threat in the first inning before retiring Corbin Carroll, Randall Grichuk, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in a perfect fifth inning to close his night.

It marked just the third time he’s lasted at least five innings this season and his first outing pitching deep into a game since early April.

His effort comes at a pivotal moment for Atlanta, who after a rough start, have clawed back to 11-14 and are showing signs of rounding into form.

The contrast between Sale’s dominant 2024 and his slower start to 2025 has been striking. Last season, Sale was nothing short of spectacular. He finished the year with an 18-3 record, 2.38 ERA, and 225 strikeouts across 29 appearances.

His incredible comeback earned him both the Comeback Player of the Year Award and his first-ever Cy Young Award, cementing one of the best bounce-back seasons in MLB history.

His health, velocity, and command all aligned last year, giving the Braves a true ace atop their rotation.

This year, early outings showed diminished fastball velocity and some inconsistencies. But encouragingly, his fastball is once again hovering in the mid-90s, averaging 94.7 Friday night.

Even more importantly, Sale’s signature slider looked elite, generating 10 swing-and-misses out of 22 swings against Arizona’s hitters.

Atlanta’s recent surge — winning six of their last seven — has paralleled Sale’s improvements and longer offensive production from stars like Michael Harris II and Alex Verdugo. Harris, in particular, has seen his OPS surge, helping balance the Braves’ lineup.

While Sale admitted he’s not quite ready to “hang his hat” on just one good outing, the veteran lefty appears to be trending upward.

If he can build off Friday’s start, the Braves could soon be adding a Cy Young-level arm to an already surging roster, a frightening prospect for the rest of the National League.