Sale's Cy Young defense begins with Opening Day start vs. Padres

NORTH PORT, Fla. -- Chris Sale¡¯s latest reward for his great comeback season will come in the form of his sixth career Opening Day start.

The Braves officially announced Sale will be on the mound for their season opener against the Padres on March 27 at Petco Park. The 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner resuscitated his career last year and will now be looking to remain one of the game¡¯s elite starters.

¡°Being out there for the first one is special,¡± Sale said. ¡°It¡¯s like the first day of school. It¡¯s like Christmas Day for baseball. Opening Day is always special, and I¡¯m appreciative of the moment.¡±

Sale made his first Opening Day starts for the White Sox in 2013, ¡¯14 and ¡¯16. He also drew the honor with the Red Sox in 2018 and ¡¯19. Those starts were made during a span within which he finished in the top six in American League Cy Young Award voting over seven straight seasons (2012-18).

This latest Opening Day assignment is special because it serves as another reminder of the significance of Sale¡¯s comeback. Multiple injuries limited him to a total of 151 innings from 2020-23. The Red Sox traded Sale and $16 million to Atlanta in exchange for Vaughn Grissom in December 2023.

¡°I'm just appreciative of the opportunity to do it here in Atlanta with a new organization,¡± Sale said. ¡°It's been a while, you know, since I've had one, and my last one wasn't very good.¡±

Sale allowed the Mariners seven earned runs over three innings when he started Boston¡¯s season opener in 2019. That was the year he started to battle the arm discomfort that led to Tommy John surgery the following year.

But it should be noted he posted a 1.92 ERA during his first four Opening Day starts.

Sale won the NL Triple Crown last year by leading the league in wins (18), ERA (2.38) and strikeouts (225). He was the first NL pitcher to lead in each of those categories during a 162-game season since Clayton Kershaw in 2011.

Sale also finished three strikeouts behind Tigers ace Tarik Skubal¡¯s MLB-leading total. Had he at least matched Skubal, Sale would have become MLB¡¯s first Triple Crown winner since Minnesota's Johan Santana led the Majors in all three major categories in 2006.