Chris Sale’s path back to the top has been a long one, and the Braves left-hander says the turnaround really began before he ever put on an Atlanta uniform.
Sale, who has reestablished himself as one of the game’s premier pitchers, spoke with FOX Sports ahead of Tuesday night’s MLB All-Star Game and laid out how he got back to elite form after years of injuries and uneven results. The 37-year-old is now in the middle of another strong season, carrying a 2.20 ERA across 17 outings in 2026.
For Sale, the reset started in the offseason of '23.
“I think it started in the offseason of '23,” Sale said. “Because '23 I get hurt, I miss a couple months… When I came back, my stuff wasn't good.
It didn't have that, like, life to it. But I pitched well… I just remember, I told myself going into that offseason, I was like, ‘I have one more year left in Boston', I told my wife, I told all the guys, I was like, ‘I'm going for it.
I'm not gonna miss a single day of throwing, I'm not missing a single workout'… I just felt like I owed it to Boston, I need to give them everything I have because I really felt guilty for those years of not being able to show up and not play… And then about halfway through all that I get traded.”
That work paid off quickly once he arrived in Atlanta. The Braves got the version of Sale they were hoping for after acquiring him from the Boston Red Sox before the 2024 season, and he responded by winning the National League Cy Young Award.
Now, with his career back on track and his numbers still sparkling, Sale is showing no signs of slowing down.
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