ATLANTA -- Chris Sale was honored with the 2025 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award and improved his bid to win a second straight Cy Young Award Wednesday night. But his latest impressive start wasn’t enough for the skidding Braves in a 2-1 loss to the D-backs at Truist Park.
It was unfortunate Sale was unable to celebrate at the end of a special night. The Braves were held hitless for 5 2/3 innings by Merrill Kelly and lost for the 10th time in their past 13 games. But Sale still appreciated receiving this award that honors the memory of a player who has been near and dear to his heart since his grandmother lost her battle with Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS) when he was just 6 years old.
“Tonight was very special for me,” Sale said. “It was actually really cool that my mom was here too. She lived that experience with her mother, my grandmother.”
The Lou Gehrig Memorial Award is annually awarded by the Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity to the MLB player who best exemplifies the giving character of Gehrig, who died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) -- a fatal type of motor neuron disease that causes progressive degeneration of nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain.
Sale’s grandmother would have been proud to see him display his eight-time All-Star arm right after receiving this philanthropic honor. And he certainly had her in his thoughts as he recorded 10 strikeouts and allowed just one run over six innings.
“It’s a shame we couldn’t score for him,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “He was working his tail off. He was competing.”
Sale’s bid for a second straight Cy Young Award was in trouble when he posted a 6.17 ERA through his first five starts. But the 36-year-old left-hander has produced a 1.43 ERA over the eight starts that followed. His 96 strikeouts rank fifth among all MLB pitchers and his 2.93 ERA ranks 10th among NL pitchers.
Sale now has 90 double-digit strikeout games, which ranks eighth all-time. Next on the list are Curt Schilling (93) and Sandy Koufax (97).
It was fitting that Sale started on the same night the Braves celebrated Lou Gehrig Day. As he warmed up in the bullpen before Wednesday’s game, his family presented a power wheelchair donated by the Permobil Foundation to Ben Brandenburg, a Georgia native diagnosed with ALS in 2021.
Brandenburg has been a beloved member of the University of Georgia athletics department since joining as an intern in 2007. Former football coach Mark Richt and current coach Kirby Smart are among those who have lauded his contributions to the school and its athletic teams.
“This award coming to fruition this year is special, and I plan to keep trying to do the best I can for ALS and Lou Gehrig and everybody with with this disease,” Sale said. “Hopefully we can figure something out to, you know, get rid of this.”
To celebrate Lou Gehrig Day, Braves players, coaches and clubhouse staff wore “Awful Lot to Live 4” shirts from Live Like Lou and the first 25,000 fans in attendance received a Chris Sale baseball card.
The Braves Foundation hosted 24 patients and healthcare professionals from the Emory ALS Center for a pregame hospitality event.
Sale and the Braves Foundation will fund three more power wheelchairs for ALS patients through a grant to the Permobil Foundation. The Braves Foundation will also provide a $10,000 grant to the Emory ALS Center for research and a $10,000 grant to Live Like Lou to support home accessibility renovations for ALS patients in Braves Country.