Braves Ace: Sale finishes third in NL Cy Young voting
Chris Sale secured a top-three finish with a 2.16 ERA and 200 strikeouts, trailing Milwaukee's Jacob Misiorowski in the final tally.
By Jasmine Carter ·
Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale placed third in the National League Cy Young Award voting this week. The award was decided by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in a ballot cast before the postseason began.
The team acquired Sale from the Boston Red Sox at the end of 2023. He had thrown only 151 innings across the four years prior to that trade. Since joining Atlanta, he has earned All-Star honors in all three seasons. His current performance has drawn comparisons to Randy Johnson, a pitcher Sale has long admired.
Sale reached 200 strikeouts for the ninth time in his career during the regular season finale against the Cincinnati Reds. He struck out the final batter of that game. He and Johnson are the only left-handed pitchers in Major League Baseball history with at least nine seasons featuring 200 strikeouts.
His statistical ranking supported his vote total. Sale posted a 2.16 earned run average, which ranked second in the National League. His walk plus hits per inning pitched stood at 0.98, placing third. He also allowed a .215 batting average against him, a mark that ranked sixth in the league.
Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers won the award in a unanimous vote. The 24-year-old right-hander finished his second season with a 1.80 earned run average and a 0.80 walk plus hits per inning pitched. He recorded 252 strikeouts in 174 and two-thirds innings across 30 starts. His team went on to win the World Series.
Cristopher Sánchez of the Philadelphia Phillies finished second in the voting. He compiled an 18-7 record and a 2.91 earned run average in 33 starts for the season.
