Chris Sale appreciation post

Random Monday morning thought: This guy is flat out awesome.

Since joining the Braves, he has pitched in 69 games (68 starts; remember, he came out of the bullpen on the last day of the season last year so Charlie Morton could have one last moment in the sun). The numbers are amazing:

2.39 ERA/2.40 FIP, 524 K (11.4 K/9), 36-14 record, 1 Cy Young, 1 Gold Glove.

This season, he looks as good as ever. His ERA is 2.19 (expected numbers are also elite), his average fastball velo is higher than it has been since 2018 or so, and he is showing no signs of slowing down. Very smart pitcher, too. Watching him sit 94-96 for a full start and ramping it up to 99-100 when he really needs a swing and miss is watching an artist at work. He has a real chance to get into the top 25 all time in strikeouts for a pitcher, and his career K/9 of 11.1 is the highest all time by a decent margin for any pitcher who has thrown at least 2000 innings.

He was extended this past offseason and has a 1/$27M contract for next year with a club option for 2028. I hope he retires here. With all due respect to Glavine and Smoltz, Sale is the second best starter the Braves have had in my lifetime.