The Atlanta Braves are about to witness one of their own bring home a Cy Young Award for the first time in over 25 years.
It’s hard to believe that Atlanta’s last Cy Young was in 1998 (Tom Glavine), partially because anyone watching Major League Baseball in the 90s will be hard-pressed to remember anyone other than a Brave winning the award during that decade.
After Doug Drabek of the Pittsburgh Pirates won the award in 1990, Atlanta took home six of the next nine: Glavine (1991, 1998), Greg Maddux (1993-1995), and John Smoltz (1996),
Notably, Maddux also won the Cy Young in 1992, albeit as a member of the Chicago Cubs. The only other non-Braves to win the award during the decade were Pedro Martínez of the Montreal Expos (1997) and Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks (1999), two of the best starting pitchers to ever play baseball.
Nonetheless, Atlanta hasn’t had a Cy Young in the new millennium.
That’s about to change in the next couple of months, however, as Chris Sale is on track to bring home his first.
In a piece released Wednesday by Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller entitled, “Ranking MLB's Top 10 AL and NL MVP Candidates”, Miller ranked Sale at No. 7 in the National League while also asserting that Sale is the runaway favorite for the Cy Young Award.
“It should be the Atlanta ace's trophy to lose,” Miller said.
“Save for one baffling eight-run blip against Oakland in early June, Sale has held each of his past 20 foes to two earned runs or fewer, including half a dozen outings with at least 10 strikeouts. During that time, he has had a 2.27 ERA and an even better 1.81 FIP, suggesting he has been a bit unlucky while racking up better than six whiffs per free pass issued.”
“Similar to Clase in the AL, Sale should get a vote bump if Atlanta ultimately makes the postseason. Goodness knows he has been one of the few things keeping that team afloat.”
Sale, 35, was 14-3 entering Thursday with a 2.62 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 147 2/3 innings. Zack Wheeler of the Philadelphia Phillies is the only other pitcher in the National League with a fighter’s chance for the award at this point.
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