At 37 years and 150 days old, Chris Sale authored one of his career’s best starts this past Thursday night, completely shutting down the back-to-back defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. That complete-game gem helped the Braves sweep the Dodgers and launched Sale’s name further into the Cy Young conversation, showing everyone what a veteran arm can still do.
Sale’s Ridiculous Domination on the Mound
Seriously, this was an outing for the highlight reels. Sale went a full nine innings, giving up just five hits, zero runs, and zero walks while striking out 11. Can you believe it? That was his fourth career shutout and his first complete game in more than seven years. And who was he doing it against? The Dodgers, who are still rocking one of the most potent offenses in Major League Baseball. Talk about stepping up!
The dude was dealing heat, too. He fired a 100.1 mph fastball to Shohei Ohtani himself, which was Ohtani’s fastest pitch seen since 2018. Sale racked up an insane 20 whiffs on the night, including 11 on just 17 swings with his slider. Plus, he added another 23 called strikes to his tally. His Game Score, a quick metric for pitcher dominance, hit 88. That’s his highest of the season by a mile, and the best he has thrown since a 91-score outing back in August 2019. It took that kind of performance to beat Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was also on point, and a scoreless L.A. bullpen. The only run of the game came from Drake Baldwin’s leadoff home run.
Cy Young Race Heats Up With Sale’s Second Peak
This isn’t just a flash in the pan; Sale is having an incredible season. His sparkling effort dropped his ERA for the year to a jaw-dropping 2.06, with 177 strikeouts and only 28 walks in 144 innings. His FIP sits at an equally impressive 2.18. The 10-time All-Star is absolutely in the mix for his second career Cy Young award. Jacob Misiorowski of the Brewers is currently the favorite at -1250 on FanDuel, but Sale is right there at +700 and charging hard after a night like Thursday’s.
What’s wild is how Sale has transformed his career since joining the Braves. Many thought he was in decline when he signed that three-year deal before the 2024 season. Instead, he found a second peak at an age when most pitchers are long gone from the game. He actually won his first Cy Young in his initial season with Atlanta! Overall, with the Braves, he’s sporting a 2.33 ERA and a ridiculous 5.73 K/BB ratio across 73 starts and one relief appearance. And get this: his fastball and sinker velocities are hitting career-high levels in 2026. Sale went from a “what could have been” story because of injuries to a probable future Hall of Famer.
This kind of performance is what you live for, right? With Sale absolutely cooking and the Braves making moves in the NL postseason picture by completing that sweep, things are getting spicy. Keep an eye on the Cy Young race; Sale is making a serious case for his second award, and if he keeps throwing like *that*, it’s gonna be a wild ride to the finish. That 37-year-old arm is showing no signs of slowing down.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
Leave a Reply