What-Ifs of Missed Time Not Lost on Chris Sale, Atlanta Braves

It was another business-as-usual night for Chris Sale. He gave the Atlanta Braves 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball on four hits while striking out nine against the Seattle Mariners. 

For someone who missed more than two months of the season, no beats were missed. Over his last 12 starts, which consist of 10 starts from before his injury and two from after, he has a 1.26 ERA. He’s still giving the team at least six innings and hasn’t allowed more than one earned run since May 11.

The work he put in to make sure he came back ready keeps paying dividends, and he expressed his gratitude for the support that made that work possible. 

“It feels good,” Sale said after the game. “I’m just very thankful for it. I think it just kind of shows the people I have in my corner, really. I’ve been pitching my whole life, and think that when you get into something like this, you really lean on the people around you - our medical staff, our coaching staff, everybody.”

While we don’t know how his season would have gone if he had stayed healthy, it’s hard to avoid imagining the what-if. Sale himself is guilty of it. Given his injury history, it’s far from the first time.  

“I’ve done it a lot in my career, just with injuries, and I beat myself up plenty of nights over stuff like that. Again, it’s just one of those weird things where, especially that injury, it wasn’t for lack of effort, or it wasn’t for not being able to handle whatever it is. It was just kind of a freak thing on a hustle play, just trying to get outs.”

His absence was certainly felt while he was gone. The Braves tried every possible alternative. They tried bullpen days, calling up prospects and acquiring veteran starters ahead of the deadline. A future Hall of Famer like Sale is irreplaceable, but none came close to bridging the gap. 

Perhaps the Braves win a few more games here and there. A few more wins here and there over two months would have added up. They wouldn’t be destined for the playoffs, but they’d probably have a better shot. 

Beyond team accomplishments, there are the what-ifs of individual accomplishments as well. Manager Brian Snitker said he hadn’t personally thought about the what-if, but upon reflection, he alluded to Sale potentially being the hunt for another Cy Young. 

“When you do start thinking about it, it’s like, well, the other one could have been right there, you know, within reach.”

Let's not forget that he was named an All-Star this season. He likely missed out on getting to pitch in front of the home crowd in Atlanta, too.

However, Snitker thinks that even if Sale is pondering the alternate timeline, he is embracing the path he has been on. 

“You know what? If he had a do-over, he wouldn’t change a thing,” he said. “I’m sure he does think about that, but you know, it’s just an unfortunate thing. I just want to see him continue to progress and finish good and go into the offseason wth a good feel, and then he’ll be excited about next year.”

The benefit of this injury being freak is that Sale is in a position to try and recreate the magic again in 2026. This season might have been lost in a sense, but he’ll have a chance to fight for another addition in the trophy case and, what he’s likely more focused on, getting back in the win column and in the postseason hunt. 

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