Chris Sale Was Counted Out, Now He's Defying Father Time at 37

Major League Baseball fans across the league should know what Chris Sale did in 2026 for the Atlanta Braves and be paying attention.

Sale is one of the very best pitchers of his generation. The 37-year-old has been dazzling with his blistering fastball and his back-breaking slider, among other pitches, for 16 years at this point in the big leagues. Sale is a 10-time All-Star for a reason. Again, he's one of the very best pitchers of his generation. But there was a time when it seemed like his career was sputtering to an end. Sale missed the entire 2020 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The big lefty then went on to appear in just 11 total games across the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

In 2023, he made 20 starts for the Red Sox and had a 4.30 ERA. It was good to see him back, but he wasn't his typical dominant self. The Red Sox then shipped him to the Braves in exchange for infielder Vaughn Grissom — who no longer is in Boston — and he has put together one of the best second acts you're going to see from a star pitcher. He won his first Cy Young Award at 35 years old when he went 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts in 2024. It was a Triple Crown season for Sale as he led the league in wins, ERA and strikeouts. Sale followed up with a 2.58 ERA in 2025 and then put together one of the most dominant campaigns of his career in 2026.

Chris Sale's Resurgence Has Been Incredible In Atlanta

Sep 11, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale (51) throws against the Philadelphia Phillies in the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sale wrapped up his regular season action on Wednesday by tossing 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball to go along with 10 strikeouts.

Chris Sale's 10th strikeout of the game gives him 200 Ks on the season!

He leaves to a standing ovation from the Truist Park crowd 🥹 pic.twitter.com/A1zq1x6Xqa
— MLB (@MLB) September 24, 2026

Sale finished the regular season with a 14-9 record, a minuscule 2.16 ERA and a ridiculous 200-to-31 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 162 2/3 innings pitched. If Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers wasn't having the historic season that he is, Sale would hands-down be the National League Cy Young Award winner. He's been that good. And, again, he's 37 years old.

With his 200 strikeouts, Sale has now reached the threshold nine times in his career, which is tied Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Pedro Martínez and Bob Gibson for the fifth-most seasons with 200 strikeouts in big league history, per MLB's Sarah Langs.

Most seasons with 200+ strikeouts:

Nolan Ryan: 15
Randy Johnson: 13
Roger Clemens: 12
Tom Seaver: 10
Chris Sale: 9
Max Scherzer: 9
Justin Verlander: 9
Pedro Martínez: 9
Bob Gibson: 9 https://t.co/CuudMaYeUc
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) September 24, 2026

When Sale eventually calls it a career and hangs up his cleats, he's going to go off to Cooperstown. It's been a storybook career for the big lefty. He began it as one of the most electrifying young hurlers in the game as a member of the Chicago White Sox. The Red Sox acquired him ahead of the 2017 season and he was a finishing piece for the organization. In 2018, Boston put together potentially the most dominant season in franchise history and went on to win the World Series, which is the only title of Sale's career.

Sale dealt with adversity for a few years, but didn't give up. He doesn't pitch exactly the same as he did when he was a 21-year-old tossing for the White Sox. Sale has adapted and shifted as the game as changed and now as a 37-year-old, he's back to dominating. His story is a near-perfect one for big league pitchers to follow. He's done it all. There was a point when Sale was counted out before coming to Atlanta, now he's leading the rotation for a contender once again. What a run.

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