Chris Sale Recalls Childhood Story of Meeting Braves Legend

After a couple Atlanta Braves legends dropped into spring training on Thursday, the left-hander looked back on what made him a fan of one of them

Sometimes, meeting your Braves idols can be a good thing | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Braves had some surprise guests in the building on Thursday morning as they got set for their spring training game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Team legends Chipper Jones and Dale Murphy were on the scene in uniform with the team. 

A face of the team from the 1980s, and a face of the team from the late 1990s and early 2000s were all in one place. 

It gave the current players and coaches a chance to interact with the players of their eras. For Braves ace Chris Sale, it provided some extra perspective on his own place in baseball. 

“These are guys we grew up watching. You know, Hall of Famers, should be Hall of Famers, however you want to say it. It’s always fun to see these guys come back, and you have a bigger appreciation for what you’re doing, and who you’re doing it for, when you see these guys come back and show love.”

The Hall of Famer, in this case, is Jones, with Sale alluding to Murphy’s Hall-of-Fame case in the context of “should be.” Murphy was on the Eras Committee ballot back in December, falling short of the 12 necessary votes out of 16 to finally reach Cooperstown. 

Jones was a first-ballot inductee back in 2018. His appearance on the day was extra special for Sale in particular.  

He said he became a fan of Jones at 12 years old after interacting with him at a baseball camp in central Florida. Sale is originally from Lakeland, Fla, which is between Tampa and Orlando. 

An All-Star came out and did something big for a lot of kids. He signed a ball and took a picture with every single kid in camp, helping create lifelong memories. 

“I thought that was really cool. I still have the ball, too,” he said as the smile grew bigger on his face. 

It goes to show that it pays to give some attention to the next generation. You never know what type of impression you’ll leave. One of them could be in the majors one day, representing the same organization as you. 

Sale is already someone who is making an impression on the younger players while in camp. He’s at the point in his career where he’s starting to overlap with those who grew up watching him. There are those who can say they are teammates with someone from their era of baseball.