Heading into the final weekend of the 2026 MLB season, the Atlanta Braves have more or less secured their place in the postseason. At 93-65, they have won their division and will likely be the No. 3 seed in the National League.
Their opponent in the Wild Card round is less certain, but their starting pitcher for Game 1 is more certain. That would be veteran lefty Chris Sale, who has remained an elite arm even at age 37.
Sale is in year three of wearing a Braves uniform, and has been nothing but reliable. On Thursday, Chad Bishop of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the lefty has won the 2026 Brave of the Year award.
The honors are given by the Braves’ section of the BBWAA, and annually recognize one player whose performance has been especially notable. Sale won during his debut Atlanta season in 2024, before his teammate Matt Olson won in 2025.
There is no debate that Sale earned his second Brave of the Year award, as he had a Cy Young-caliber season in 2026. Across 27 starts, he went 14-9 with a 2.16 ERA. That includes 200 strikeouts to only 31 walks.
The most important thing may be that Sale has been fully healthy during this season following a 2025 where he missed time due to a rib cage injury. The Braves made sure throughout the season to give him some extra rest, hence the 27 total starts as opposed to 30-32.
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In the 37-year-old’s final start of the regular season Wednesday, he fired 97 pitches and 5 ⅔ innings of one-run ball versus the Cincinnati Reds. He allowed just one hit while striking out 10 and walking none.
The lefty will get a crisp five days off from pitching before the postseason begins Sept. 29. Having an elite pitcher like Sale in that best-of-three Wild Card will be a huge advantage, especially if they face a team with weaker starting pitching.
For the moment, the race between the non-division winner playoff teams is tight in the NL. The San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies are all within one game of each other with three or four games left to play for all.
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