‘Shouldn’t Have Cashed Out!’: Chris Sale Adds Humor to a Fan’s Special Autographed Card
Looks like Chris Sale has a bit of a sense of humor.
Collector Bobby Orban posted an image with a story about Sale, who recently won the NL CY Young Award while pitching for the Atlanta Braves. The collector placed a bet that Sale would win the CY Young but cashed out early taking a 90% payout.
Sale heard about the story while at East West Sports Cards & Collectibles in Naples, Fl., where Orban’s brother is a manager. Orban went to the shop on Wednesday to open 2024 Bowman Draft whe he ran into the Braves pitcher.
Once Sale heard the story, he had a little advice that he inscribed for Orban on a card.
Chris Sale was in the shop today and hit me with the best inscription I’ve ever seen. Apparently he heard I bet on him to win Cy Young and cashed out. He laughed about it and said “I still appreciate the confidence!”. New favorite piece in the collection. pic.twitter.com/d1ML3vT0AD
— BigBobsCards (@BigBobsCards) December 4, 2024
Sale signed a 2024 Topps Chrome Purple Refractor baseball card with special inscription:
“Shouldn’t have cashed out!”
He signed that along with his signature and jersey number.
Sale may have been right as he went on to win his first CY Young Award as he was the favorite as the season wound down. He finished the year with an 18-3 record and a league-low 2.38 ERA. It was Sale’s best season since 2018.
Orban bet on Sale to win the CY Young prior to the season when the odds are +5000 for him to win! Cashing out at 90% certainly didn't hurt, but Orban got something even better.
A memorable card.
Sale told Orban, “I still appreciate the confidence.”
Sale hasn’t signed cards for Topps since at least 2022, so what makes this card even more special is there aren’t many 2024 cards with his autograph on them.
While this card could be sold on the secondary market for $100 or more, it’s not going anywhere.
For Orban, it’s priceless.
Susan is an award-winning journalist who spent over a decade working in the sports card industry. You can follow her at twitter.com/yanxchick