Reigning Cy Young winner Sale perfect in spring debut

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Before Chris Sale pitched in a game for the first time as a Cy Young Award winner, Braves manager Brian Snitker took a second to reflect on the southpaw¡¯s incredible 2024 season.

¡°I saw every pitch and I didn¡¯t realize it was even as good as it was,¡± Snitker said. ¡°When you look back on all the accolades, it was a laundry list of well-earned awards. His performance was impressive, and how he goes about it -- everything. It was just fun to watch.¡±

Snitker and the Braves got their latest look at Sale when he threw two perfect innings against the Twins in a mutual Grapefruit League opener on Saturday afternoon at Lee Health Sports Complex. The 35-year-old southpaw needed just 21 pitches to complete the outing, further distancing himself from the back spasms that sidelined him during last season¡¯s final week.

Sale¡¯s fastball touched 94.7 mph and averaged 93.8 mph. Four of the six balls put in play against him had an exit velocity of less than 86 mph. He was quite pleased with how he felt and performed during his spring debut.

¡°It¡¯s good to get the first one out of the way,¡± Sale said. ¡°I always get nervous before starts. So, I was pacing [in the clubhouse] and even in between innings -- it felt like forever. So, to get off on the right foot was a good feeling.¡±

Sale entered last season having to prove he had something left to offer after injuries limited him to just 151 innings from 2020-24. The Red Sox gave up on him when they sent him and $16 million to the Braves in exchange for Vaughn Grissom on Dec. 30, 2023. The trade steadily became more lopsided last season, when Sale logged 177 2/3 innings and became the first pitcher to win the NL Triple Crown since Clayton Kershaw in 2011.

It will be hard for this year to be as emotionally special as last year was for Sale. But if healthy, he certainly has the potential to match what was one of the most impressive seasons in the history of the pitching-rich Braves.

Sale posted a 2.38 ERA, recorded 225 strikeouts and tied Detroit¡¯s Tarik Skubal with an MLB-leading 18 wins.

How did Sale's season rank within the history of a franchise that has included Hall of Famers Warren Spahn, Phil Niekro, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz? Well, no other Braves pitcher has posted a sub-2.40 ERA and at least 225 strikeouts in a season since earned runs became official in 1913.

Maybe it¡¯s more impressive to point out that the only pitcher in franchise history to record a lower ERA during a 200-strikeout season was Greg Maddux (2.22 ERA and 204 strikeouts in 1998).

¡°I do appreciate [the season], and I know how special it was,¡± Sale said. ¡°But [the Braves] had some dogs before me that set the tone pretty good.¡±

Along with impressing on the mound, Sale helped strengthen the clubhouse culture with the determination and dedication he showed from the moment he was acquired by Atlanta. A few days after the trade, he drove from his Naples area home to the Braves' Spring Training complex to work out and get acquainted with his new club.

Sale made that same 90-minute drive nearly every day throughout Spring Training last year. He estimates he drives 1,200 miles per week, a distance he relates to driving from his southwestern Florida home to Connecticut.

¡°I said, 'You don¡¯t have to come up here every day,' and he said, 'Yes, I do,'¡± Snitker said. ¡°He wants to be with his teammates. It just speaks volumes of the guy.¡±

Sale got a break with Saturday¡¯s game being in Fort Myers. His commute for the day was reduced to the 30 minutes that separates the Twins¡¯ complex from his family residence.

¡°That was nice,¡± Sale said. ¡°I think [the Braves] were aware of that.¡±