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Chris Sale Reveals ‘Most Important Thing’ After Leading MLB in Wins
While Chris Sale took the league lead in wins on Tuesday, the Braves star has much bigger goals in mind.
Stellar Performance
With their eyes set on another World Series title, the Atlanta Braves swung a trade with the Boston Red Sox to land Chris Sale prior to the season. Before the All-Star break, Sale is proving to be one of the best offseason acquisitions in the entire league.
On Tuesday, the left-hander earned his MLB-leading 12th win of the season as the Braves took down the Arizona Diamondbacks, 6-2. While Sale might be the new win leader, he and Atlanta have their eyes set on a much bigger accomplishment, via the Associated Press.
“The most important thing is this team and winning games for this team,” Sale said. “We’ve got our eyes on the prize and that’s the most important thing.”
Overcoming Early Struggles
In the win, Sale pitched 5.1 innings of two-run baseball, striking out nine while allowing five hits and three walks. Although the runs scored against him came in the sixth inning after his removal, Sale’s biggest roadblock came at the start of the game. He allowed a single and a pair of walks to load the bases, but a ground out from Jake McCarthy ended the inning and helped Sale find his groove.
“Tonight was a grind,” Sale said. “Once I got out of that first inning, I was like, ‘Alright, let’s take a deep breath, re-focus and get back to it.’”
Braves’ Playoff Push
The win marked Atlanta’s fourth straight, moving their record to 51-39 on the season. While they’re 7.5 games back of the first-place Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East, the Braves hold a 4.5 game lead over the competition for the top Wild Card spot. If the team wants to retain their playoff positioning—or even surpass the Phillies—they’ll need Sale to continue pitching at the top of his game.
Career Renaissance
Over his first 17 starts with the Braves, Sale holds a 12-3 record with a 2.74 ERA and a 136/22 K/BB ratio. Alongside leading the league in wins, he is also fourth in the league in strikeouts and eighth in ERA. Sale’s performance earned him his first All-Star nomination since 2018.
Atlanta had to trade one of their former top prospects, Vaughn Grissom, to the Red Sox to acquire Sale. The deal was based more on potential value, as the end of Sale’s time in Boston was marred by injury. He appeared in just 11 games total from 2020-22.
Sale did make a healthy return in 2023, starting 20 games. Yet, he held just a 4.30 ERA and a 125/29 K/BB ratio over his 102.2 innings. There were signs of reemergence, and more importantly, Sale appeared to be fully healthy. The Braves decided to go all-in and gamble that the lefty would have a full bounce back in 2024.
Hitting the Jackpot
Atlanta hit the jackpot, as Chris Sale has been one of the best pitchers in all of baseball. While pitching wins isn’t the most telling stat, it’s still impressive that Sale has been able to convert all but five of his starts into victories. As they head into the second half, the Braves just need Sale to continue what he has been doing.
A change of scenery has ascended Sale back to MLB’s mountaintop. With both the Braves and Sale locked in on a World Series run, Atlanta isn’t going to go down without a fight to end the campaign.
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