Braves' Chris Sale named NL Cy Young Award winner

In his 14th MLB season, Chris Sale has finally won his elusive Cy Young Award.

The 35-year-old lefty was named the NL Cy Young winner on Wednesday night, earning the honour over Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler and Pittsburgh Pirates rookie sensation Paul Skenes.

In 2024, Sale won the NL pitching Triple Crown, leading the Senior Circuit in wins (18), ERA (2.38) and strikeouts (225) while stabilizing the top of the Atlanta Braves' rotation. Sale received 26 of 30 first-place votes.

"It's a special night," Sale said on MLB Network after Hall of Famer Greg Maddux made the announcement. "Having Maddux announce it, being an Atlanta guy, having a guy I looked up to early in my career and having him be here, on the panel, this is a special night."

Sale has been no stranger to Cy Young award shows, as he was a finalist in 2014 and 2017 and finished in the top five of voting six times.

It had been a few years since Sale displayed sustained dominance at the major-league level, as injuries had limited him to just 151 innings since the beginning of the 2020 season. But after an off-season trade sent Sale from the Boston Red Sox to Atlanta, the Lakeland, Fla. native looked just like his old self in 177.2 innings with his new club.

He becomes the fifth different player in Braves franchise history to win the Cy Young, joining Maddux, Tom Glavine, John Smoltz and Warren Spahn. He is the first Atlanta pitcher to receive the honour since Glavine in 1998.

Sale made his eighth career All-Star appearance and earned the NL Comeback Player of the Year in 2024 while racking up an MLB-best 32.1 per cent strikeout rate.

"I don't have it all figured out. I'm glad it worked out this way because I think I appreciate this moment more," Sale said. "When I was young, it just kind of came to me. I was able to go out there and perform and have success. You kind of know what the deal is when you go through (injuries) and a tough time like that, It's just leaning on people.

"I mean, I can't stress enough about everybody that helped me get here. And I'm just very thankful for them."

For the first time in his career, Sale threw his slider as his primary pitch, getting opposing hitters to swing and miss at the pitch 42.7 per cent of the time while allowing just 48 hits with the offering for a .171 average against.

Wheeler continued his excellence in Philadelphia, pitching to a 2.57 ERA over 200 innings. He also struck out 224 hitters and had the NL's lowest WHIP (0.95). The 34-year-old finished second in voting, receiving the four first-place votes that didn't go to Sale.

Skenes, the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year, became one of the most feared starters in baseball from his first appearance with the Pirates. The 22-year-old struck out 170 hitters in 133 innings, posting an 11-3 record with a 1.96 ERA. If he had qualified as a stat leader, the 2023 first-overall pick would have led all starters in ERA and finished second in strikeout rate.