Chris Sale's 2026 Season for Braves Has Been Better Than You Think

A strong start to the season by the Atlanta Braves ace has seen him put up some numbers that haven't been seen by him in years

The Braves' ace may be looking his best yet for his team | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Another go-around through the Atlanta Braves rotation, and Chris Sale was magnificent again. He went six scoreless innings, working around a bases-loaded jam in the third inning to make it happen. His nine strikeouts on the day were a season-high for him in a start. 

For good measure, he moved up the all-time strikeout list again. He moved past Chuck Finley (2,610 strikeouts) to be in sole possession of 28th all-time (2,617 strikeouts). He also picked up the 150th win of his career.

It has the makings of another strong season for the ageless wonder. But when you look deeper, this season is better than you may realize.

Apart from his April 6 start against the Angels, where he allowed six runs, he hasn't allowed more than one run in any other start this season. He has two scoreless outings under his belt, and three more where he limited the damage to one.

During his Cy Young-winning season in 2024, he didn't allow fewer than two runs until his fifth start. Last year, it didn't happen until his sixth start. Again, most have probably noticed that it's been a better first month of the season so far, but perhaps not to this extent.

In five of his six starts this season, he's given the Braves at least six innings. The one time he didn't was that same start against the Angels out west, where he only made it through four. Since joining the Braves, this is the earliest he has completed at least six innings five times.

Last season, he didn't complete six innings in a start until April 30, his seven start. That's another plus.

His ERA, which is currently at 2.31, would be lower than his Cy Young season (2.38) if he were to maintain pace. His 174 ERA+ is identical. His WHIP is 0.91. The last time he finished with a sub-1.00 WHIP was in 2018 (0.86). His opponent's batting average of .185 is also the lowest since that same 2018 season (.185).

Based on his track record after April, the last two seasons, maintaining pace is doable. The WHIP may come back up a little, but for the most part, he's off to start that is sustainable. Here are Sale's post-April stat lines from the past two seasons.

• 2024: 2.10 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, .220 BAA, 192 strikeouts 
• 2025: 1.69 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, .190, BAA, 119 strikeouts

Apart from his ERA, which is inflated by a single start, his numbers already closer to where has settled into the last couple of seasons.

Sale already has one Cy Young. He likely would have been a finalist for the award again last year if he hadn't lost two months to a freak injury. If he stays healthy, another piece of hardware is realistically in his sights.

He's certainly poised for his 10th All-Star appearance. If he was able to rally to earn trips to the Midsummer Classic before, he's cruising to one out of the gate.

Adding more to the resume of what is already a Hall of Fame career could come on the back of what could be his best year in a Braves uniform yet.

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