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It’s not difficult to make the case that Chris Sale has anchored the Atlanta Braves this season. Entering play on Friday, Atlanta holds a five-game lead over the second-place Philadelphia Phillies. They’re on the cusp of their 80th win of the season, and they look downright dominant. The Braves seem to be contending for their first World Series title since 2021. Much of that is due to Sale. The veteran pitcher owns a 2.06 ERA with 177 strikeouts through 144 innings pitched. That ERA is second only to Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers, who leads all starting pitchers in MLB with a ridiculous 1.73 ERA. A History of Excellence To say that Sale has been one of the most durable pitchers in baseball isn’t as crazy as it sounds. Sale is currently in his 16th big-league season. It’s just his third with Atlanta, with the veteran left-hander having pitched for the Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox previously. Across those 16 seasons, Sale has authored a career 2.95 ERA, 2,756 strikeouts, and 158 wins. He has been one of the most dominant left-handed pitchers of this century, and he is a virtual lock for the Hall of Fame once he becomes eligible. The Triple Crown Many missed the brilliance of Chris Sale until he won the National League Cy Young Award in 2024. Sale won the pitching Triple Crown while in his first season with the Braves, leading the league in wins (18), strikeouts (225) and ERA (2.38). It was a resurgent year after one of the worst seasons of his career. In 2023, Sale pitched his final season with the Red Sox, posting a 4.30 ERA through 102 2/3 innings. Since then, Sale has turned in back-to-back sub-3.00 ERA seasons and is well on his way to his third consecutive year. If anything, it’s a wonder that Sale doesn’t have the Triple Crown this season as well. If not for Misiorowski, he would be. In the National League, Sale is tied for fifth in wins (14), fourth in strikeouts behind Misiorowski, Jesús Luzardo and Cristopher Sánchez and second in ERA behind the Miz. Misiorowski has stunned the league this season, leading MLB in strikeouts (222) and ERA (1.73). He could easily win the National League Triple Crown if he can surpass Sánchez’s win total. If he can do so, Misiorowski would be the first since Johan Santana in 2006 to win the MLB Triple Crown (leading both leagues in wins, strikeouts and ERA). But back to Sale. How does the 37-year-old pitcher have any hope of outdueling a young phenom who regularly hurls triple digits? He outwits him. Sale’s Pitching Genius Chris Sale has been one of the smartest pitchers in baseball since Greg Maddux. It’s no surprise that both “the Professor” and Sale have played on the Atlanta Braves. Again and again, Sale has found creative ways to get batters out. Yet, despite that, his favorite way has continued to be the strikeout. Sale became the fastest to reach 2,500 strikeouts, surpassing the previous record set by Randy Johnson. His 6’6″ frame looms on the pitcher’s mound, taunting the hitter. Sale overpowers the strike zone, dominating hitters mentally and physically. That has led to a level of success that is nearly unparalleled in the modern era. But Sale has struggled with injuries. Like many of the greats, we’ll never know just how great he truly could have been if not held back by the limitations of his own body. For the first seven years of his career, he was healthy. Sale had one brief stint on the IL in 2015 after fracturing his right foot, but that seemed to be it. Then, in 2018, Sale hit the IL twice with left shoulder inflammation. In 2019, he had Tommy John surgery, which caused Sale to miss the entire 2020 season (it was a good one to miss). In 2021, he suffered setbacks during recovery before making his return in 2022. Then, just like that, a freak bicycle accident limited him to just two starts that season. In 2023, the shoulder issues returned before he surged in 2024 and dominated the league. It’s tough to say just how good Sale would be if not for those lost years. He would certainly have already attained 3,000 strikeouts. He would also most likely have 200 wins. That being said, if Sale continues to pitch for even one more season, he could definitely achieve that first feat. He would be the 21st pitcher in history to do so. The latter feat would take much more time, and an enduring dominance not often seen from a pitcher so close to 40 years of age. But, if anyone can do it, Chris Sale can. Blanking Los Angeles On Thursday night, 37-year-old Chris Sale did the unthinkable. He pitched nine innings of shutout ball against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He didn’t pitch against a lower-level team like the Colorado Rockies or Los Angeles Angels. Sale faced the back-to-back World Series champions in a potential NLCS matchup and dominated. Not only did he earn the win, but he forced manager Walt Weiss to keep him in the game so that Sale could record his first complete-game shutout since 2019. Sale struck out 11 batters and touched triple digits for the first time since 2018. But it wasn’t just the dominance; it was the grit. The Braves had already won the series. They were playing for the sweep. Entering September, the division crown feels mostly locked up, and the playoffs seem to be a mortal lock for Atlanta. It wasn’t a game that Sale needed to treat with any particular chutzpah. Yet he did anyway, because that’s who Chris Sale is. He’s the pitcher who will never back down from a challenge. Unfortunately, Sale didn’t pitch an immaculate inning in this shutout like he did in 2019, but we can forgive him for that. Sale dominated L.A., sitting down all but five batters. He didn’t walk a single hitter. If that’s the version of Sale that Atlanta gets in the postseason, the Dodgers will have a massive problem in the way of their hopes for a three-peat.