<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/braves-news-how-atlanta-trade-shifted-chris-sale-retirement-plans');   ga('set', 'title', 'How Braves trade shifted Chris Sale’s retirement plans');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Braves-news-How-Atlanta-trade-shifted-Chris-Sales-retirement-plans.jpg"></figure><h1>How Braves trade shifted Chris Sale’s retirement plans</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-21T22:35:25-08:00">November 21st, 10:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-21T22:35:25-08:00">November 21st, 10:35pm</time><address><a>Chris Dodson</a>Chris Dodson is a Memphis Grizzlies beat reporter for ClutchPoints who has also covered the New Orleans Pelicans. He has covered Louisiana high school and college basketball in spurts for over a decade. A basketball lifer from the bayou, his gumbo-stirring form matches his elbow jumper celebrations. Fast enough for varsity hoops, tall enough for a soccer scholarship. He has words and will travel, just not on the court.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Braves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The MLB’s winter stove can flame up or cool off on a whim. An All-Star’s change of plans can mean the opening up of an owner’s wallet or the closing of a front office’s championship window. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-does-chris-sale-believe-hes-a-hall-of-famer-after-first-cy-young">Atlanta Braves heard one possible Hall of Famer fighting back</a> against Father Time and decided to<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-chris-sale-takes-shot-at-white-sox-after-winning-cy-young-award"> go all-in on Chris Sale last offseason.</a> That investment paid off in a Cy Young award and might have kept Sale in the game for years to come.</p><p>Sale slid up to the plate on the Foul Territory podcast and <a href="https://twitter.com/FoulTerritoryTV/status/1859699779930030177" rel="noopener">delivered a home run explanation</a> for why the newest Cy Young award winner went back on his retirement plans.</p><p>“Yeah, that was something I was talking to my wife about last night (before being named the NL Cy Young Award winner),” Sale shared. “Before I got traded last offseason we were really planning that this year (2024) was probably going to be my last year playing. I had one more year left on my contract and we actually pulled our kids out of school. We were doing home school this year just so we could travel.”</p><p>The Sale family took some drastic measures so they could be together for one final ride, but those plans were all for naught. Atlanta will have another year with Sale leading the way after all.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Chris Sale was initially planning on 2024 being his last season before he got traded to Atlanta. <a href="https://t.co/G0YDZVTcGf">pic.twitter.com/G0YDZVTcGf</a></p><p>— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoulTerritoryTV/status/1859699779930030177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“It was like, okay, if we are going to do this one last year let’s fully live the baseball life,” Sale explained. “(The family) went on a lot of trips (because) we had planned this last year before the trade happened. So we just kind of stuck with the plan like doing home school now.”</p><p>Homeschooling still requires field trips, and Sale’s children got to see most of the country last season.</p><p>“We went to Philadelphia and learned about the founding fathers,” Sale said. “We went out to Alcatraz in San Francisco and Red Rocks in Colorado. It was nice having the family together and having them be able to experience this because I have not been traveling a lot the last few years with all of the injuries. It was nice having that and being able to share this experience with them…It goes quick so we wanted to be able to keep our family together and enjoy it.”</p><h2><b>Braves bet big on Chris Sale’s switcharoo</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Chris-Sale.jpg"><figcaption>Dale Zanine-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Chris Sale has seen almost everything throughout a 14-year MLB career. He won a World Series in 2018, suffered through Tommy John surgery, then got traded to the Atlanta Braves. The NL East behemoth bet big on Sale returning to form, and that investment paid off in a Cy Young season. It only makes sense that the 35-year-old is ready to run it back in pursuit of another championship ring.</p><p>Sale not only took on the 2024 Cy Young award but also earned NL Comeback Player of the Year honors thanks to an 18-3 record and 2.38 ERA. Sale stuck out 225 batters while allowing only 47 earned runs in 29 starts with the Braves. Now that two-year extension with an $18 million club option for 2026 looks like a bargain for Atlanta’s decision-makers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

How Braves trade shifted Chris Sale’s retirement plans

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/braves-news-does-chris-sale-believe-hes-a-hall-of-famer-after-first-cy-young');   ga('set', 'title', 'Does Braves’ Chris Sale believe he’s a Hall of Famer after first Cy Young Award?');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Does-Chris-Sale-believe-hes-a-Hall-of-Famer-after-1st-Cy-Young-Award.jpg"></figure><h1>Does Braves’ Chris Sale believe he’s a Hall of Famer after first Cy Young Award?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-21T17:03:19-08:00">November 21st, 5:03pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-21T17:23:59-08:00">November 21st, 5:23pm</time><address><a>Dylan Fine</a>Dylan Fine focuses on the NFL and NCAA Football for ClutchPoints, in addition to working on the meme team. Dylan is a graduate of Georgetown University and has covered various topics ranging from local politics in the DMV region with DC Voter For Animals to live sporting events in the Long Island and Rochester areas with The Southampton Press and Pickin’Splinters. When he isn't working, he's usually running in preparation for the next annual Turkey Trot.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Braves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Braves pitcher Chris Sale gave an honest answer about whether he’s secured a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-chris-sale-wins-nl-cy-young-award-resurgent-season">2024 National League Cy Young Award winner</a> is one of the most decorated pitchers of this generation. An eight-time All-Star and one-time World Series champion, the 35-year-old put together the best season of his career in 2024. Sale completed the rare triple crown, leading the National League in wins, strikeouts, and earned run average.</p><p>Despite these accolades, the Lakeland, Florida native <a href="https://x.com/FoulTerritoryTV/status/1859664870494568574" rel="noopener">was not optimistic</a> about getting into Cooperstown in an interview on the digital baseball show Foul Territory.</p><p>When asked if he’s a Hall-of-Fame pitcher, Sale said, “No. Not as it sits right now.”</p><h2><b>Chris Sale still has a lot more years left in his elite arm</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Braves-pitcher-Chris-Sale.jpg"><figcaption>Matt Krohn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>This brutally honest take from the Braves’ ace showcases how hard it is to make it into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Going through all of Sale’s accolades: he’s an eight-time All-Star, one-time World Series Champion, Cy Young winner, Triple Crown winner, won a Gold Glove Award, and led the league in strikeouts in three seasons. That is a resume that, in any other sport, would make someone not just a Hall-of-Famer but a first-ballot one.</p><p>The good news is that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-news-tarik-skubal-chris-sale-combine-wild-feat-not-seen-before" rel="noopener">after a historic season, Sale</a> doesn’t sound like he plans on slowing down anytime soon. Having the best season of his career at 35 indicates that the lefty doesn’t exactly need youth on his side to be an elite starter. The question going forward is if <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-chris-sale-worrying-injury-update-atlanta-clinches-playoff-spot">Sale can stay healthy, something he’s struggled with at times</a> this year and in the past.</p><p>The defending Cy Young winner is under contract with the Braves in 2025. He has a club option with the franchise after that. Atlanta is coming off a disappointing year for a franchise that has seen a ton of success under manager Brian Snitker. 2024 was the first time in seven years the Braves didn’t win the NL East. Atlanta still made the postseason but was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-brian-snitker-strong-declaration-future-sweep-padres" rel="noopener">eliminated by the San Diego Pardes</a> in the NL Wild Card Series, marking the worst finish in the playoffs for the franchise since 2017.</p><p>While last season was not ideal, the Braves still have plenty to look forward to in 2025. For most of the year, Atlanta was without its <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-ronald-acuna-jr-reaction-unlucky-torn-acl">best offensive player, Ronald Acuna Jr</a>. The 26-year-old is a perennial NL MVP candidate and vital to the organization’s future. The franchise is also aggressively hunting stars in free agency. These targets include <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/ranking-walker-buehler-3-best-free-agency-destinations">All-MLB pitchers Walker Buehler</a> and Jordan Montgomery.</p><p>Despite an aggressive approach during the offseason, the Braves should be an elite team with just health on their side. First-baseman Max Olson went from having the best year of his career to struggling in 2024 in Atlanta. The 30-year-old is still in his prime and should have a bounce-back year, especially with Acuna Jr returning. Overall, the franchise is in good shape with Sale as its ace. Should the defending Cy Young winner maintain his form next year, Sale will secure his spot in Cooperstown.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Does Braves’ Chris Sale believe he’s a Hall of Famer after first Cy Young Award?

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/braves-news-chris-sale-takes-shot-at-white-sox-after-winning-cy-young-award');   ga('set', 'title', 'Braves’ Chris Sale takes shot at White Sox after winning Cy Young award');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Braves-news-Chris-Sale-takes-shot-at-White-Sox-after-winning-Cy-Young-award.jpg"></figure><h1>Braves’ Chris Sale takes shot at White Sox after winning Cy Young award</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-21T12:46:57-08:00">November 21st, 12:46pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-21T19:06:42-08:00">November 21st, 7:06pm</time><address><a>Christopher Hennessy</a>Christopher Hennessy graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022. He has also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders, and Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Braves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Atlanta Braves starting pitcher <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-chris-sale-wins-nl-cy-young-award-resurgent-season">Chris Sale won his first career Cy Young</a> award on Wednesday. Despite his excellent career and six top-five finishes, he had never won the award. The morning after the announcement, <a href="https://x.com/FoulTerritoryTV/status/1859664240870818089" rel="noopener">he went on</a> Foul Territory with his former teammate AJ Pierzynski. He took a shot at the White Sox, their former team, during the interview.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Chris Sale bringing the heat on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FTLive?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FTLive</a> 🌶️</p><p>"Obviously had the best year of my career, win the CY Young, and one of my losses was to the worst team in the history of the game" <a href="https://t.co/WuaU0Z2T6s">pic.twitter.com/WuaU0Z2T6s</a></p><p>— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoulTerritoryTV/status/1859664240870818089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 21, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“Obviously had the best year of my career, winning the CY Young, and one of my losses was to the worst team in the history of the game,” Sale quipped. Pierzynski and former White Sox third baseman Todd Fraizer got a pretty good kick out of that. They were not a part of the worst team in history, but their stories insinuated that they understood how the organization got to this point.</p><p>Pierzynski brought up the infamous Chris Sale story about him cutting up the throwback jersey before a start. It got a chuckle out of Sale, who now has a World Series and Cy Young since the incident. What once defined him is now a funny footnote on a Hall-of-Fame career.</p><p>In that game against the White Sox, Sale dominated and still got the loss. He threw seven innings, allowed four hits, and gave up one run. The Braves lost 1-0.</p><h2><b>Chris Sale continues his excellent career with the Braves</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Chris-Sale-with-Atlanta-Braves.jpg"><figcaption>Katie Stratman-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>After he missed the entire 2020 season with injury, Chris Sale was not the same pitcher for the Red Sox. Over the next three seasons, he started 31 games with a 3.93 ERA. While that is solid, it is not the greatness fans were used to from Sale. He was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grading-braves-red-sox-chris-sale-trade">traded to the Braves</a> in an afterthought move and given a curious extension. The 35-year-old has now extended his career with this great season.</p><p>The Braves needed this season out of Sale in 2024. Their ace Spencer Strider pitched in only two games before suffering an elbow injury that ended his season. Without him, their rotation was much thinner behind Max Fried. By the end of the season, Sale was the top guy for Atlanta and led them to the playoffs.</p><p>While the Padres were a strong team unlikely to lose in the Wild Card series, they would have been given a better challenge with Chris Sale. He missed out on the final series against the Mets and the Padres series due to back spasms. He is now expected to shine for the Braves, especially if Fried leaves in free agency and Strider is not ready for the season opener.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Braves’ Chris Sale takes shot at White Sox after winning Cy Young award

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/braves-news-chris-sale-wins-nl-cy-young-award-resurgent-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Braves’ Chris Sale wins NL Cy Young Award after resurgent season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Chris-Sale-wins-NL-Cy-Young-Award-after-resurgent-season.jpg"></figure><h1>Braves’ Chris Sale wins NL Cy Young Award after resurgent season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-11-20T15:48:41-08:00">November 20th, 3:48pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-11-20T16:13:40-08:00">November 20th, 4:13pm</time><address><a>Christopher Smith</a>Christopher Smith is an associate editor covering a variety of sports with a beat focus on the Chicago Sky for ClutchPoints. The Aurora, Illinois native earned a degree in philosophy from Creighton University, where he also competed as a Division 1 Cross Country runner.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Braves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-brian-snitker-strong-declaration-future-sweep-padres">Atlanta Braves did not have the postseason success they hoped for</a> in 2024. Yet, the club still received some of the best MLB production from one of their veteran players. Left-handed pitcher Chris Sale had a resurgent 2024 campaign, and as a result, <a href="https://x.com/JeffPassan/status/1859377713242394659" rel="noopener">he has won</a> the National League Cy Young Award, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.</p><p>Sale received 26 of 30 first-place votes for the prestigious award after finishing second, third, fourth, fifth (twice), and sixth (twice) for the in past voting, Passan added. Philadelphia Phillies star Zach Wheeler finished second in 2024 voting, and Pittsburgh Pirates rookie Paul Skenes finished third.</p><p>In 29 regular season starts, Chris Sale achieved an 18-3 record and held a 2.38 ERA, both of which ranked first in the league, per ESPN. In addition, he threw 225 strikeouts (ranked second), and achieved 1.01 WHIP (sixth).</p><p>Sale’s 2024 run was highly impressive compared to his 2023 season with the Boston Braves. In 20 starts, the left-hander went 6-5 with a 4.30 ERA, 125 strikeouts, and 1.13 WHIP. Joining the Braves had to be an adjustment for Sale, considering he spent his previous six seasons with Boston. However, he answered the call and has gained an honorable recognition for his debut Atlanta season.</p><p>Sale developed a back injury down the stretch of the Braves’ season that caused concern among fans. However, manager <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-brian-snitker-chris-sale-update">Brian Snitker revealed a positive update</a> on the star’s status in early October.</p><p>Snitker said Sale “felt a lot better” on the morning of Atlanta’s first Wild Card matchup against the San Diego Padres. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-gm-chris-sale-nlds-roster">GM Alex Anthopoulos further revealed Sale would have been ready</a> for the National League Division Series, had the Braves advanced. Unfortunately, the Padres swept Atlanta in the Wild Card, ending their postseason run early.</p><p>Chris Sale’s NL Cy Young Award is great news for both him and the Braves alike. As long as he stays healthy, Sale should do more great things for the club in 2025.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Braves’ Chris Sale wins NL Cy Young Award after resurgent season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/braves-news-gm-chris-sale-nlds-roster');   ga('set', 'title', 'Braves GM says Chris Sale would have made NLDS roster');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/10-04-24-sale-featured.jpeg"></figure><h1>Braves GM says Chris Sale would have made NLDS roster</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-10-04T11:38:19-07:00">October 4th, 11:38am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-10-04T11:39:01-07:00">October 4th, 11:39am</time><address><a>David Korn</a>David Korn is an MLB associate editor at ClutchPoints. He is also a producer at MLB Network Radio and covers college basketball for A10Talk. David graduated from George Washington in 2023, where he was the radio play-by-play broadcaster for their Men's and Women's Basketball teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-brian-snitker-strong-declaration-future-sweep-padres">Atlanta Braves got swept 2-0 by the San Diego Padres</a> in the Wild Card round of the postseason. One of the biggest reasons why: star pitcher <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-brian-snitker-chris-sale-update">Chris Sale’s back injury.</a></p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-chris-sale-scratched-before-must-win-game-vs-mets">Sale was last-second scratch</a> from the must-win second game of the doubleheader on Monday due to back spasms. Then, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-chris-sale-worrying-injury-update-atlanta-clinches-playoff-spot">Sale was left off of the Wild Card round roster</a>.</p><p>Despite the Braves having already been eliminated from the postseason, general manager Alex Anthopoulos revealed how Sale <a href="https://x.com/kileymcd/status/1842229888482152557" rel="noopener">is feeling</a>, per Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.</p><p>Anthopolous said that Sale felt good during his bullpen on Friday and that he would have been included on the Braves’ NLDS roster if they had advanced.</p><p>While this news may not mean much for Braves fans after they had already been eliminated, it does show that Sale’s back issues will most likely not linger into next season. This was the first full, All-Star-caliber season that Sale had completed since 2018. Now that is is clear that Sale will have a full, healthy offseason to prepare for 2025, there is no reason to expect Sale to not be able to replicate what he did this year.</p><p>However, the biggest takeaway is just how unfortunate the timing was for Sale’s back to flare up. Sale had not pitched since Sept. 19. If he was able to keep pitching for the Braves down the stretch, maybe they would have been able to avoid emptying their bullpen during Monday’s doubleheader against the New York Mets and would have been better prepared to face the Padres. Even if he had to miss the end of the regular season, if he was ready for the Wild Card round, it would have been a completely different series.</p><h2><b>Chris Sale’s incredible 2024 season with the Atlanta Braves</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/10-04-24-sale-image.jpeg"><figcaption>© Matt Krohn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>When the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/braves-news-atlanta-acquires-chris-sale-red-sox-blockbuster-trade">Braves made a trade for Sale</a> with the Boston Red Sox, expectations were low about what the injury prone, 35-year-old Sale could actually provide. Many believed that his best days were already behind him.</p><p>However, a change of scenery may have been just what Sale needed. Through 29 starts, Sale won the National League pitching triple crown with 18 wins, a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts and is the likely NL Cy Young Award winner.</p><p>Without Sale, the Braves likely would not have made the postseason. Injuries to ace Spencer Strider, reigning NL MVP Ronald Acuna Jr. and third baseman Austin Riley could have sunk Atlanta. But, Sale was able to step up and show that he is still one of the best pitchers in all of baseball while leading his team to October.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Chris Sale

Latest Chris Sale News

How Braves trade shifted Chris Sale’s retirement plans

Does Braves’ Chris Sale believe he’s a Hall of Famer after first Cy Young Award?

Braves’ Chris Sale takes shot at White Sox after winning Cy Young award

Braves’ Chris Sale wins NL Cy Young Award after resurgent season

Braves GM says Chris Sale would have made NLDS roster

Chris
Sale