Chris Sale is one of the best pitchers of his generation and had his career come to an end after his tenure with the Boston Red Sox, that would still be true. But the 34-year-old left-hander has done something this season that not many anticipated.

When Sale was traded to the Braves from Boston before this season, the veteran southpaw was seen as a great complement to the hard-throwing ace Spencer Strider. Strider, who came into the season as one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, would miss the entire 2024 season after undergoing elbow surgery, leaving Sale and Max Fried to carry the team’s rotation.

But with Fried’s injuries, among many others on Atlanta’s roster throughout the year, the onus was put on Sale to carry the team’s production — something he hadn’t done for quite some time.

Sale showed throughout the first half that he could not only carry a rotation again when Strider and Fried went down, but the question would be, could he stay healthy enough to be dominant again? Even with his teammates’ injuries stacking up, Sale hasn’t spent a day on the injured list for the first time in seven years.

And finally being able to stay on the field, Sale has reminded many just how good he can be when he’s at his best. The eight-time All-Star is 18-3 with a minuscule 2.37 ERA and 225 strikeouts, putting him No. 1 in MLB in all three categories. He’s on pace to win the National League triple crown for wins, ERA and strikeouts. It’s also the first time since 2017 that Sale will pitch more than 177 innings and he’s reached the 200-strikeout plateau for the first time since 2018.

No one knew what to expect when Sale was acquired. While the name carried plenty of weight, the production from one of the league’s best hadn’t been there in recent years. But an older, wiser Sale has figured out how to keep himself healthy and on the field for a full season. In the past, that’s been difficult for him and other elite starters around baseball.

Sale has finished in the top five of Cy Young Award balloting six different times, with a second-place finish the year he struck out 308 in 2017. A week away from capturing the first pitching Triple Crown in a full season since Justin Verlander (AL) and Clayton Kershaw (NL) in 2011, Sale is on the precipice of finally winning that elusive first Cy Young Award.

This season has not only put Sale back in the conversation of being one of baseball’s best pitchers, but has definitely put him back on track for Cooperstown. With his first Cy Young Award on the way, the Braves’ ace would not only have the highest individual achievement for a pitcher, but also a World Series title on his resume.

After dominating for over a decade during his time with the White Sox and Red Sox, the last marker on Sale’s checklist would be the illustrious 3,000 strikeouts. Sale currently has 2,414 strikeouts which is well within reach, especially if he continues to pitch at this elite level.

Sale’s Cy Young season will go down as one of the more improbable ones we’ve seen in baseball in recent memory. Not because he’s never been capable or close, but at this point in his career, those days seemed like they were behind him. But this version of Sale is showing not only that he can still perform at a high level, but there’s no slowing down anytime soon.