Sale: I'm not a Hall of Famer 'as it sits right now'
Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale doesn't believe he belongs in Cooperstown despite winning an elusive first Cy Young Award.
"No, not as it sits right now," Sale told "Foul Territory" on Thursday when asked if he has a Hall of Fame resume.
Sale won the NL Cy Young on Wednesday after leading the league in wins (18), ERA (2.38), and strikeouts (225) in 2024. The left-hander's bounce-back season came after he logged a combined 151 innings (29 starts) between 2021 and 2023 due to an array of injuries.
"I would say I wasn't expecting to do this ... to win a Cy Young Award," Sale added. "I had confidence in myself, (and) I just knew I needed to be healthy. I know what I can do when I'm healthy and on a baseball field."
Sale's 52.3 fWAR since 2012 only trails future Hall of Famers Max Scherzer and Clayton Kershaw. The former also sits 90th in JAWS (47.5) among starting pitchers, ahead of notable Hall of Famers such as Sandy Koufax and Jack Morris.
Sale, 35, owns a career 3.04 ERA with a 1.04 WHIP and 2,414 strikeouts over 14 years with the Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, and Braves. The eight-time All-Star finished top six or better in AL Cy Young voting for seven straight years from 2012-18. He also won the 2018 World Series with the Red Sox.