Chris Sale in Elite Club in Recent Baseball History as Braves' Opening Day Nears

Sale, who won the National League Cy Young Award last season, is on a very short list when it comes to Opening Day starters this year.

Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale high-fives catcher Chadwick Tromp following a pitching session during spring training Thursday, Feb. 27th at CoolToday Park in North Port. / Mike Lang / Sarasota Herald-Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With Spencer Strider recovering from his 2024 Tommy John surgery, Atlanta Braves' lefty Chris Sale will get the ball on Opening Day as the Braves take on the San Diego Padres.

And Sale is certainly a deserving choice, considering he won the National League Cy Young Award last season. It's a position he's been in before, many times actually, as noted by Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

His six Opening Day starts are the most of any pitcher getting the nod this year and are tied for the fourth-most among active hurlers, trailing only Justin Verlander (12), Clayton Kershaw (9) and Max Scherzer (7).

Breaking down Opening Day pitching matchups by @SlangsOnSports for @MLB: Below you will find every confirmed starting... https://t.co/319CXZkFPG

— New York BBWAA (@NYBBWAA) March 19, 2025

Sale beat out Zack Wheeler (Philadelphia Phillies) and Paul Skenes (Pittsburgh Pirates) for the Cy Young last year. Tarik Skubal won the American League version of the award.

Heading into his 15th major league season, Sale is 138-83 with a 3.04 lifetime ERA. He debuted with the White Sox in the 2010 season, staying there until 2016. He was traded to the Red Sox in 2017, helping them win the World Series in 2018 and get to the ALCS in 2021, though he only made nine starts that year.

Sale has dealt with frequent injury since 2019 and was traded to the Braves last offseason. All he did was put together the most dominant season in the National League, going 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA. He also struck out a National League-best 225 batters and made the All-Star team.

He'll hope to replicate his success this year, and if he's able to stay healthy again, he's one of the best pitchers in the game.

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