Ex-Red Sox Ace Reflects On Breakthrough Cy Young Award Season

Chris Sale finally got to add some hardware that he couldn’t attain with the Boston Red Sox in his first season with the Atlanta Braves.

Boston moved Sale to the Braves for infielder Vaughn Grissom. The change of scenery bode well for the left-hander, who put together a healthy season and drove the Atlanta pitching staff throughout the season.

Sale went a remarkable 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA across 29 starts with 225 strikeouts in 177 2/3 innings. He ran away with the Cy Young Award in the National League six seasons after he won his World Series title with the Red Sox.

That season totally redirected the back half of Sale’s career, which he hopes to continue for the Braves in 2025 following a new extension with the club.

“Pretty crazy,” Sale told MLB Network’s Jake Peavy. “Lot of work went into it. Kind of surreal.”

The Braves left-hander missed the postseason with a back injury when the San Diego Padres eliminated Atlanta in the wild-card round. Now, Sale looks to make an impact in October and bring the Braves back.

Sale gets some help back in the rotation with the return of Spencer Strider while the Red Sox hope that Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler can elevate the rotation.