Chris Sale has had a historic season for the Atlanta Braves.
Atlanta Braves left-handed ace Chris Sale reached 200 strikeouts for the ninth time in his career on Wednesday night. MLB shared the accomplishment with a post on X. The 37-year-old veteran hit the mark in Atlanta’s 3-2, 10-inning walk-off win over the Cincinnati Reds at Truist Park.
The milestone places Sale in company he has chased his whole life. He now joins Randy Johnson as the only left-handers in MLB history with nine 200-strikeout seasons.
Sale needed just one strong night to get there in his final regular-season tune-up before the playoffs. He struck out 10 over 5 2⁄3 innings and surrendered only a lead-off home run to Juan Brito. He reached the mark in the sixth inning, catching Reds rookie Sal Stewart looking for punchout No. 200.
The outing capped a remarkable year. Sale finished the regular season with a 2.16 ERA, his lowest since 2018, to go with a 0.984 WHIP. He also had exactly 200 strikeouts across 162 2⁄3 innings and 27 starts. He had five double-digit strikeout games along the way.
His consistency stood out most. Sale made 17 starts with one walk or fewer and pulled off 24 straight starts allowing three runs or fewer, a franchise record. He was nearly unhittable every time he took the mound.
Acquired from the Boston Red Sox before the 2024 season, Sale won the National League Cy Young Award and swept the pitching triple crown in his first year in Atlanta. He will not win the award this year, but only because Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski is having one of the best seasons ever by a pitcher.
Sale’s resurgence came after several seasons in Boston were derailed by injuries. He did miss time in 2025 due to a freak accident where he fractured his left rib cage.
Still, he has been the unquestioned ace of the Braves rotation since his arrival, which has mattered a ton given how many injuries the staff has dealt with.
Atlanta clinched the National League East on September 20, its seventh division title in nine years. The title came despite lowered preseason expectations with a new manager in Walt Weiss and their disappointing season in 2025.
At 93-65, the club has basically locked up the National League’s No. 3 seed and home-field advantage for a wild card series at Truist Park.
Sale is lined up to start the opener, likely Tuesday, in his first postseason appearance since 2021.
