Braves’ Chris Sale is 100% honest about his first All-Star spot in 6 years

Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale is one of the best stories of the 2024 MLB season so far, and things got even better for him after his nomination for the MLB All-Star Game.

Not many people would have expected him to receive such an honor after overcoming all the challenges he has faced in the past just to keep playing as a pitcher, but now he is on his way to his first All-Star Game appearance since 2018. One can only imagine how happy Sale was when he learned he would be appearing in the Midsummer Classic for the first time in six years.

“It’s definitely satisfying,” said Chris Sale, 35, (h/t David O’Brien of The Athletic).

“I certainly appreciate it. When you go through a couple of years like I had, you start to wonder if it’s even possible again. And to be in that position, to have a team give me a chance – it wasn’t an easy move, I guess, but they gave me a chance and I’m glad to be able to do that for them,” Sale added.

Chris Sale is well (and healthy) again

When the Braves acquired Sale from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Vaughn Grissom in December 2023, many wondered if his arm still had enough power to make a big difference. Sale struggled with injuries before the Braves signed him. He suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in 2020, suffered a rib injury just before the 2022 season, and sustained finger and wrist injuries.

“He’s obviously spent some time in the ICU over the last few years,” Atlanta general manager Alex Anthopoulos said of Sale last December (via Associated Press).

“You can’t run away from that. You know that. But we feel like this is the first normal offseason he’s going to have in a long time. But at the same time, you have to see that he pitched 100 innings last year.”

Prime Sale was a strikeout machine on the mound. But due to the injuries he suffered over the past few years, he was only able to post a record of 17-18 with a 4.16 ERA, 3.56 FIP and 113 ERA+ in 56 starts from 2019-2023. This time frame also includes his absence for the entire 2020 season as he had to undergo Tommy John surgery.

Since arriving in Atlanta, however, Sale seems to have exceeded all expectations and expectations placed on him before the season. In his first 16 starts with the Braves, Sale has posted a record of 11-3 with a 2.71 ERA and an impressive 2.26 FIP. In addition, he has a WHIP of under 1.00 and an ERA+ of 151. His strikeout rate is 32.7 percent, while his home run rate is 1.8 percent – better than the HR% he had during his best years with the Chicago White Sox.

According to FanGraphs, his 3.3 fWR is way above that of his All-Star Braves colleague Reynaldo Lopez (2.1).

Speaking of strikeouts: Sale continues to be successful in this area.

“For the second time this season, Chris Sale has a five-game streak of 7+ strikeouts and two or fewer runs allowed. No other @Braves pitcher in the modern era has even such a streak of at least five games,” OptaSTATS shared.

Sale, a two-time American League strikeout leader, made his major league debut with the White Sox in 2010 and won the World Series with the Red Sox in 2018.