It finally happened. After a decade of being the bridesmaid but never the bride, Chris Sale didn't just win the NL Cy Young winner 2024 title; he basically stomped the competition. For anyone who watched Sale during those peak years in Chicago or that electric 2017 season in Boston, there was always this nagging "what if" regarding his trophy case. Well, that question is officially buried.
He did it.
Sale secured the award on November 20, 2024, after putting up a season that looked like it was ripped straight out of a video game. We’re talking about the first National League Pitching Triple Crown since Clayton Kershaw in 2011. He led the league in wins (18), ERA (2.38), and strikeouts (225). Honestly, if you told a Red Sox fan two years ago that Sale would be the best pitcher in baseball in 2024, they probably would’ve laughed you out of the room. He spent more time on the IL than on the mound between 2020 and 2023. But the trade to the Atlanta Braves changed everything.
The Vote: It Wasn't Even That Close
A lot of people thought Zack Wheeler might sneak in there because he threw more innings. Wheeler was a workhorse, no doubt. He hit the 200-inning mark and had a better WHIP (0.96) than Sale. But the BBWAA voters weren't having it.
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Sale took home 26 of the 30 first-place votes. Wheeler got the other four. It’s kinda wild when you look at the points: 198 for Sale versus 130 for Wheeler. Paul Skenes, the Pirates' rookie phenom who everyone was obsessed with over the summer, finished a distant third with 53 points.
Voters usually value volume, but Sale’s dominance per inning was just too high to ignore. He was striking out 11.4 batters per nine innings. When he was on the mound, the game basically felt over by the fourth inning.
Why Chris Sale Deserved the 2024 Honor
The narrative matters in sports, and Sale had the best one. After years of stress fractures, Tommy John surgery, and even a freak bike accident, he came to Atlanta and stayed healthy. That was the big hurdle. He didn't just survive the season; he thrived.
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- The Triple Crown: Leading in wins, ERA, and Ks is the gold standard. It’s rare.
- FIP Dominance: His Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) was 2.09. That tells you he wasn't just getting lucky with his defense; he was dominating hitters entirely on his own.
- Consistency: He allowed more than two earned runs in only nine of his 29 starts.
The Paul Skenes and Zack Wheeler Debate
There was a lot of noise about Paul Skenes. The kid was electric. His 1.96 ERA was actually better than Sale's, but he only threw 133 innings. You just can't win a Cy Young with that little volume unless every other pitcher in the league falls off a cliff.
Zack Wheeler has a much better case for being "snubbed," though even that's a stretch. Wheeler led the league in quality starts (26) and opponents' batting average (.192). If you’re an old-school fan who loves a guy who goes seven innings every single night, Wheeler was your man. But Sale’s "stuff" was just nastier this year. He had that vintage sidearm slider working again, and lefties were basically guessing every time they stepped into the box.
What This Means for the Hall of Fame
Winning the NL Cy Young winner 2024 award changes the conversation for Sale’s Cooperstown chances. Before this year, he was a guy with amazing peak stats but no "hardware." Now he has seven Top-5 Cy Young finishes and one actual trophy. That puts him in a very elite tier of left-handers.
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He’s now over 2,400 career strikeouts. If he can give the Braves two more healthy seasons, he's a lock for the Hall. It’s sorta crazy how one healthy year can completely rewrite a player's legacy.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
If you're looking at why the 2024 race went the way it did, keep these takeaways in mind:
- ERA+ is King: Sale's 174 ERA+ (which adjusts for ballparks) showed he was 74% better than the average pitcher. That’s hard to vote against.
- Health over Volume: In the modern game, voters are starting to care less about 200 innings and more about the quality of the 170-180 innings they actually see.
- The "Vibe" Shift: Coming back from years of injury to lead the league is a powerful story. Voters are human; they like the comeback story.
Keep an eye on Sale's workload in 2025. The Braves played it smart by skipping his last start of the regular season due to back spasms, which kept him fresh but also cost him a chance at a unanimous win. If he stays on this trajectory, he’s still the man to beat in the National League.