Chris Sale
Sale's stunning revival in 2024 capped one of the most remarkable comeback stories in recent memory. After years of injury concerns that made him baseball's most fragile ace, the lanky lefthander returned to Cy Young form at age 35, proving his devastating slider-fastball combination remains untouchable when healthy.
The 2018 season represents Sale at his absolute peak — that 2.11 ERA and 196 ERA+ came during Boston's World Series run, when he looked every bit the dominant force who terrorized American League hitters for years in Chicago. His 2,579 career strikeouts tell the story of a pitcher who could make elite hitters look foolish on any given night.
What makes Sale special isn't just the raw stuff, but the competitive fire that burns behind those lanky limbs. Nine All-Star selections don't happen by accident, and that career 144 ERA+ places him among the elite starters of his generation when he's been able to take the ball.
| Date | IP | H | ER | BB | SO | HR | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | W |
| May 14 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 | L |
| May 8 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | L |
| May 2 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 0 | W |
| Apr 26 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 0 | W |
| Apr 18 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 1 | W |
| Apr 12 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | W |
| Apr 6 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 2 | L |
| Apr 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | W |
| Mar 27 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 | W |
Career · Hitting
8 seasons| Year | Team | G | AB | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS | OPS+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | — | 58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2012 | — | 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2014 | — | 26 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2015 | — | 31 | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2016 | — | 32 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2017 | — | 32 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 1.000 | — |
| 2018 | — | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| 2021 | — | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — |
| Career | 245 | 26 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | |
Career · Pitching
16 seasons| Year | Team | G | IP | W | L | ERA | ERA+ | SO | WHIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | — | 21 | 23.1 | 2 | 1 | 1.93 | — | 32 | 1.07 |
| 2011 | — | 58 | 71.0 | 2 | 2 | 2.79 | — | 79 | 1.11 |
| 2012 | — | 30 | 192.0 | 17 | 8 | 3.05 | — | 192 | 1.14 |
| 2013 | — | 30 | 214.1 | 11 | 14 | 3.07 | — | 226 | 1.07 |
| 2014 | — | 26 | 174.0 | 12 | 4 | 2.17 | — | 208 | 0.97 |
| 2015 | — | 31 | 208.2 | 13 | 11 | 3.41 | — | 274 | 1.09 |
| 2016 | — | 32 | 226.2 | 17 | 10 | 3.34 | — | 233 | 1.04 |
| 2017 | — | 32 | 214.1 | 17 | 8 | 2.90 | — | 308 | 0.97 |
| 2018 | — | 27 | 158.0 | 12 | 4 | 2.11 | — | 237 | 0.86 |
| 2019 | — | 25 | 147.1 | 6 | 11 | 4.40 | — | 218 | 1.09 |
| 2021 | — | 9 | 42.2 | 5 | 1 | 3.16 | — | 52 | 1.34 |
| 2022 | — | 2 | 5.2 | 0 | 1 | 3.18 | — | 5 | 1.06 |
| 2023 | — | 20 | 102.2 | 6 | 5 | 4.30 | — | 125 | 1.13 |
| 2024 | — | 29 | 177.2 | 18 | 3 | 2.38 | — | 225 | 1.01 |
| 2025 | — | 21 | 125.2 | 7 | 5 | 2.58 | — | 165 | 1.07 |
| 2026 | — | 12 | 72.2 | 8 | 4 | 2.23 | — | 86 | 1.03 |
| Career | 405 | 2152.0 | 153 | 92 | — | — | 2665 | — | |
Matchups, projections, comps — grounded in Lahman, Retrosheet, and Statcast.