Chris Sale Throws Harder Than Ever at 37, Chases Second Cy Young With Braves

Chris Sale is defying the typical aging curve for pitchers in a way that has not been seen in nearly two decades. In his 16th big league season, the 37-year-old Atlanta Braves left-hander is throwing harder than he has at any point in his career as a starter, posting an average four-seam fastball velocity of 96.1 mph in 2026. That is a jump of 1.3 mph from 2025, when his fastball sat at 94.8 mph, and it has transformed him into a leading candidate for his second Cy Young Award.

Eight days ago, Sale authored a complete-game shutout against the Los Angeles Dodgers, striking out 11 batters and lowering his ERA to 2.06. That mark is the second-lowest in the National League, trailing only Milwaukee Brewers rookie Jacob Misiorowski (1.97). Sale will take the mound Friday night at Citizens Bank Park as the first-place Braves (83-57) open a critical four-game series against the second-place Philadelphia Phillies (79-61).

Key facts

What is behind the velocity jump

The source of Sale’s increased velocity is not a mechanical overhaul or a new training regimen that the team has disclosed. Braves manager Walt Weiss offered a simple summary last week: “He’s throwing harder than he ever has at 37 years old.”

Sale’s fastball has been clocked at 100.1 mph this season, his fastest pitch since July 6, 2018. In his start against the Dodgers alone, he threw 14 pitches at 98.0 mph or higher. That marked the fifth time this season he has reached that threshold in a single game. Before 2026, he had not done so since 2018.

The increased velocity has made Sale’s four-seamer his most valuable pitch for the first time in years. His signature slider, which was the most valuable pitch in baseball from 2024 to 2025 with a +47 run value, has taken a secondary role. This season, Sale is throwing his four-seam fastball more frequently and with greater effect, using it 42% of the time in two-strike counts compared to 32% last season.

Historical context and rarity

Sale’s velocity surge is nearly unprecedented for a starting pitcher his age. In the pitch-tracking era, which dates to 2008, only Jacob deGrom has thrown a pitch 100.0 mph or harder at age 37 or older. Among qualified starting pitchers in their age-37 season or later, Sale’s average fastball velocity is the highest of any left-hander and trails only deGrom among all pitchers.

The last pitcher to improve his average fastball velocity by a comparable margin in his age-37 season or later was Johnny Cueto, who went from 90.0 mph in 2022 to 92.0 mph in 2023. Cueto’s 92.0 mph, however, ranked in the 22nd percentile of MLB. Sale’s 96.1 mph sits in the 75th percentile.

Context also matters for handedness. The average left-handed pitcher in MLB throws 93.6 mph, meaning Sale is throwing 2.5 mph harder than the typical lefty. Only three qualified left-handed starting pitchers throw harder than Sale this season.

How the fastball has changed the arsenal

The shape and release point of Sale’s fastball remain essentially identical to previous seasons. He still throws from a low side-arm slot with the same outlier arm angle. The difference is pure velocity, which has improved the pitch’s Stuff+ grade from 105 in 2025 to 113 in 2026 on a scale where 100 is average.

That uptick has made the fastball a swing-and-miss weapon. According to Statcast’s bat tracking metrics, 42% of swings against Sale’s four-seamer are late, compared to a league average of 26% for four-seam fastballs. The late-swing rate helps explain why Sale is striking out batters at an elite level despite relying less on his slider.

Sale’s 95th career game with double-digit strikeouts occurred in his shutout of the Dodgers, moving him into seventh place on the all-time list. He leads the National League in strikeouts and is second in ERA, putting him in direct competition with Misiorowski for the Cy Young Award.

What this means for the Braves and the NL East race

Sale’s performance is critical for Atlanta as it holds a 4.5-game lead over the Phillies in the NL East with 22 games remaining. The four-game series beginning Friday in Philadelphia is the most significant remaining regular-season matchup between the two clubs. Sale is scheduled to start the opener, and a strong outing could effectively put the division out of reach for the Phillies.

The Braves acquired Sale in a December 2023 trade with the Boston Red Sox, a move that was initially seen as a risk given his injury history. Sale missed significant time from 2020 through 2023 due to elbow, shoulder and wrist issues. He won the NL Cy Young Award in 2024 and has remained healthy and dominant since.

Source: MLB Official News RSS – https://www.mlb.com/news/braves-chris-sale-showing-elite-fastball-velocity-in-2026