ANAHEIM — Chris Sale’s fairy-tale comeback season continued Saturday evening at Angel Stadium as he took one other step towards his pursuit of historical past.
Regardless of some hiccups within the sixth inning of the Braves’ 11-3 win, Sale dominated the Angels lineup for many of his begin as he struck out 10 batters for the third consecutive recreation. His two earned runs got here off three hits within the sixth, matching the whole hits he’d allowed within the earlier 5 innings. Sale earned his 14th win of the season, probably the most within the Nationwide League.
“It’s big to your crew, simply figuring out that you’ve that man that’s going to go on the market and provide you with an opportunity to win,” Braves supervisor Brian Snitker stated earlier than the sport. “He’s going to do every part in his energy to try this. … He’s been superior all yr.”
Sale’s ERA sits at 2.62, which additionally leads the NL. So do his 186 strikeouts, making him a respectable Triple Crown candidate and placing him in place to doubtlessly be the Nationwide League’s first pitching Triple Crown winner since Clayton Kershaw in 2011.
It’s been a profession renaissance for Sale, who was as soon as one of the crucial feared pitchers within the Majors, however noticed his previous couple of years in Boston marred by accidents. He’s reemerged since becoming a member of Atlanta within the offseason, posting his greatest ERA since 2018, which was additionally his final All-Star season earlier than being chosen once more this yr.
“I’m simply having fun with the place I’m at. I’m having enjoyable enjoying baseball once more, truthfully,” Sale stated after the sport. “Clearly my previous couple of years have been effectively documented, and it was robust. However individuals undergo robust issues and we recover from it, and right here we’re.”
It’s not solely the enjoyment of being on the mound within the large moments, but additionally the enjoyment for the little particulars and the day-to-day trivia that stand out to Snitker about Sale.
“It’s nice simply to get again and have the ability to do what he likes to do,” Snitker stated. “This man’s a ballplayer. He loves to return to the ballpark, do his work, be an important teammate, simply devoted to what he’s doing. He’s a ballplayer.”
Sale had the luxurious of a three-run cushion earlier than he even stepped on the mound Saturday evening because of a house run from Marcell Ozuna — a hitting Triple Crown challenger — within the first inning.
“We go over there, and we’re going to assist him have outing,” Ozuna stated. “He’s the most effective pitchers within the league, and for me, he’s the Cy Younger already.”
However for all of the discuss and hype about awards on this season, Sale is protecting his thoughts on simply serving to his crew get to the postseason in one of the simplest ways he is aware of how.
“I don’t put a complete lot into it,” Sale stated. “There’s a left column and a proper column. We need to stack as many on the left as we will. We’re getting late within the yr, and wins are essential. That’s what we’re aiming for.”
