Legacies are cemented in the postseason, and Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale has another opportunity to prove why he’s Hall of Fame-bound.
Stop laughing. Just because he often went under the radar when compared to the likes of Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer doesn’t mean the 10-time All-Star isn’t among the modern greats. Despite turning 37 this past March, Sale remains one of this generation’s most successful starting pitchers, and he’s inching closer to his second World Series ring.
The Braves are 10 wins away from their second title in six years, and Sale takes the mound on Tuesday night hoping to shut down an inconsistent Dodgers lineup. All eyes are on a 6-foot-6, 180-pound lefty who has enjoyed a remarkable renaissance since joining the Braves ahead of the 2024 season.
Sale has already turned heads this postseason as both a starter and reliever. Only two days after pitching seven innings in last Tuesday’s Wild Card Series opener, he recorded the final four outs in the Game 3 clincher over the Phillies.
Next up? Erasing any remaining doubts regarding his eventual bronze plaque and spot in Cooperstown.
Further examining Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale’s Hall of Fame résumé
We recently mentioned Sale alongside Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Aaron Judge, among others, as the playoff participants all but guaranteed to enter the Hall of Fame. At the same time, we acknowledged that he and Yankees first baseman Paul Goldschmidt may have been the most surprising names in that nine-player group.
Let’s take a quick look at Sale’s key statistics and how they compare to the average Hall of Fame pitcher:
Statistic | Chris Sale's numbers | Hall of Fame average |
|---|---|---|
Wins | 159 | 235 |
ERA | 2.95 | 3.02 |
bWAR | 62.7 | 66.0 |
Strikeouts | 2,779 | 2,047 |
If you’ve paid attention to recent Hall of Fame trends, then you know that the current crop of voters prefer a dominant peak to traditional counting stats. That’s why longtime Mariners ace Félix Hernández is trending towards induction despite recording a 4.89 ERA and 0.8 bWAR in his final four seasons, all coming after he turned 30.
Had Sale retired following the 2023 season, he’d have been a borderline candidate who likely would have snuck in within his first few tries. But the last three years, in which he's recorded a 2.36 ERA and 15.6 bWAR in 466 innings, completely changed his Hall of Fame trajectory. He won his first Cy Young Award in 2024 and is expected to have another top-five finish this year, if not higher.
Most remarkably, he’s still going strong despite his age and his heavy workload. Last Tuesday marked the first time in Sale's 11 playoff starts that he completed at least six innings, and the Braves need him at his best in Game 3. He also told reporters that he’s willing to pitch out of the bullpen in a potential Game 5.
“This is playoff baseball,” Sale said. “That's a helluva team across the way. I'm just preparing for another grind. I'm preparing for another battle and to leave it all on the field. However it shakes out, that's how it shakes out.”
That’s exactly what Braves fans should want to hear, not that they’d expect anything different.
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