Sale's triumphant return to form earns him NL Comeback Player honors
Mark Bowman
@mlbbowmanATLANTA -- Chris Sale did more than prove he could resuscitate his career in 2024 -- he became just the fifth pitcher within the past 50 years to win the National League's Triple Crown Award.
Sale earned an All-Star selection, accepted the honor of being the Braves¡¯ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award and could win his first NL Cy Young Award next week. This was an incredible rebound season for the veteran left-hander, who was named the National League Comeback Player of the Year on Thursday night.
The Braves have accounted for four of the 20 NL Comeback Player of the Year recipients since the award was first presented in 2005. Tim Hudson (2010), Jonny Venters (2018) and Josh Donaldson (2019) were the club¡¯s previous winners.
Sale totaled just 151 innings for the Red Sox from 2020-23, an injury-riddled stretch that included Tommy John surgery, a rib fracture, a pinky fracture, a wrist fracture and a stress fracture in his left shoulder.
Still, the Braves were willing to take a chance on Sale getting healthy and regaining the form he had when he produced a 2.91 ERA over 208 appearances (207 starts) from 2012-18. They acquired him and $17 million from the Red Sox in exchange for utility infielder Vaughn Grissom last winter.
Sale bested all expectations, as he led the NL in wins (18), ERA (2.38) and strikeouts (225). He was the first NL pitcher to win the Triple Crown, by leading in each of these categories, since Clayton Kershaw in 2011.
The 35-year-old hurler also finished three strikeouts behind the Tigers¡¯ Tarik Skubal for the Major League lead. Had he passed Skubal while continuing to lead the Majors in ERA, Sale would have become MLB¡¯s first Triple Crown winner since Johan Santana led the Majors in all three major categories in 2006.
The Braves provided Sale at least one extra day of rest whenever possible and immediately saw the benefits. Sale posted a 2.12 ERA through his first 10 starts, and after allowing eight earned runs over four innings against the A¡¯s on June 1, he posted a 1.96 ERA over his final 18 starts of the season.
Two of Sale¡¯s three losses were of the tough-luck variety. He allowed two runs and struck out 10 over seven innings in a 2-1 loss to the Nationals on June 7. But the more frustrating result may have come on June 27, when he struck out 11 and allowed just one run over seven innings in a 1-0 loss to the White Sox.
Sale, Kershaw (2011), Jake Peavy (2007), Randy Johnson (2002), Dwight Gooden (1985) and Steve Carlton (1972) are the only pitchers to win the NL Triple Crown since Sandy Koufax won three from 1963-66.