The numbers behind Chris Sale’s incredible season will leave you speechless

Jul 18, 2026 - 16:45

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The numbers behind Chris Sale’s incredible season will leave you speechless originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Chris Sale continues to prove that age is just a number.

The Atlanta Braves ace delivered another masterful performance Friday night at Truist Park, tossing seven scoreless innings while allowing just two hits in a 15-1 victory over the Texas Rangers. The outing further strengthened his case for a second Cy Young Award in three seasons and added another remarkable chapter to what is already a Hall of Fame-caliber career.

Sale lowered his ERA to 2.06, the third-best mark in Major League Baseball, after extending his remarkable run of dominance. Over his last 15 starts, the veteran left-hander owns a sparkling 1.72 ERA, consistently giving Atlanta a chance to win while pitching like one of the game’s elite arms.

His historic season continues to place him in rare company. At 36 years and 362 days old, Sale became just the 11th pitcher in the modern era to record a sub-2.10 ERA through his first 18 starts of a season at that age or older. Baseball legend Cy Young accomplished the feat five of the previous 14 times, while Hall of Famer Justin Verlander was the most recent pitcher to join the exclusive list during his 2022 campaign.

Braves manager Walt Weiss believes Sale’s accomplishments speak for themselves.

“I’ve talked about him being a Hall of Famer,” Weiss said. “He just went to his 10th All-Star Game. He’s doing some really impressive things and putting together a really unbelievable career.”

MLB is running out of ways to describe Chris Sale’s historic season

Sale’s excellence hasn’t gone unnoticed by his teammates either. Drake Baldwin praised the veteran’s ability to dominate hitters with a deep arsenal and pinpoint command.

“It’s pretty special,” Baldwin said. “He can do a lot of great things and execute them at a high level.”

Friday’s outing also marked the first time a Braves pitcher completed at least seven innings since Sale himself accomplished the feat against the Miami Marlins on May 20, underscoring just how valuable he has been to Atlanta’s rotation.

With every dominant start, Sale continues building an even stronger Hall of Fame résumé while reminding baseball fans why he remains one of the sport’s most feared pitchers. If he maintains this pace, another Cy Young Award could soon be headed to Atlanta.