PHILADELPHIA -- The benefits of having Chris Sale back extend beyond the opportunity to watch him strengthen his Hall of Fame-caliber resume once every five days.
“He just cares about everybody,” manager Brian Snitker said. “He’s one of the greatest teammates you’ll ever have.”
Snitker’s great compliment makes it easier to understand why there was an enhanced sense of excitement when Sale ended a two-month stint on the injured list with the impressive start he made in a 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Phillies on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park.
“Watching baseball is not a lot of fun for me. I enjoy competing,” Sale said. “I enjoy being out there. To get it taken away, you miss it a little bit. So when you get back out there, you want to lock in, pick up the slack when your team needs it.”
Enhancing the excitement was the dominant performance produced by Sale, who recorded nine strikeouts and allowed just three hits over six innings. The 36-year-old southpaw retired seven of the eight batters he faced before surrendering Weston Wilson’s one-out homer in the third.
Trea Turner followed Wilson’s homer with a double, but Sale responded by striking out five of the next six batters he faced. In other words, he didn’t look like a guy who was pitching for the first time since fracturing a left rib while making a diving stop in the ninth inning of a June 18 start against the Mets.
“It’s always good to have a guy like Sale throwing for us and being around the clubhouse to create good vibes,” center fielder Michael Harris II said. “He’s one of the greatest guys on this team, and one of the greatest teammates I’ve ever had. It’s always fun to be around him and see him compete.”
Sale also pitched around a leadoff double in the sixth, with assistance from first baseman Matt Olson. Olson fielded Bryce Harper’s sharp one-out grounder, stepped on first base and made a pinpoint throw that easily beat a sliding Turner to the plate.
“He was so slick, I didn’t even see it,” Sale said. “That was the confusion on the field. I didn’t even see him step on first base. I was sitting there thinking there were just two outs.”
Sale posted a 1.23 ERA over the final 10 starts he made before going on the injured list in June. His bid for a second straight National League Cy Young Award ended with his lengthy absence, but his dominant stuff wasn’t negatively affected by the long IL stint. The Phillies whiffed with 15 of 36 swings against him on Saturday.
Other than when he made some Minor League rehab starts, Sale remained with the Braves over the past couple months. So he was there to mentor some of the younger pitchers, including Hurston Waldrep, who will enter Sunday’s start with the 0.90 ERA he’s posted going back to his Aug. 3 season debut.
But seeing Sale go about his business both on the mound and between starts should add to the impact felt by the other members of the pitching staff.
“He’s a pro, and it’s not just because his stuff is so good,” fellow starter Bryce Elder said. “It’s how he handles himself around us. We have a lot of young guys, so seeing how he goes about his business every day is important to all of us.”
Sale has certainly been an inspiration going back to last year, when he won his first Cy Young Award after many assumed his career was over. He totaled 151 innings from 2000-23, then regained the elite status he earned when he finished among the top six in Cy Young balloting over seven straight seasons (2012-18).
So maybe it shouldn’t have been surprising to see him shine after missing two months. He now just wants to finish September strong and head into the offseason with nothing but normal preparations on his mind.
“You just want to see things through and finish the year on the right foot,” Sale said. “Going into an offseason healthy is big for everybody but specifically, it's huge for me to go into the offseason and not have to really worry about anything.”