The Real Number Nobody Saw
Chris Sale won the National League Pitcher of the Month for July, but the headline number of 2.00 ERA tells only half the story. The real shock lies in how he dominated without walking a single batter in three of his five starts. According to MLB.com Braves, Sale posted three scoreless starts where he allowed two or fewer hits and zero walks. This rare feat matched Pittsburgh rookie Paul Skenes for the most such starts in the entire Majors this year.
Most pitchers struggle to throw six clean innings without giving a free pass. Sale did it three times in one month. He tossed seven shutout frames against Texas on July 17 and six more in a doubleheader at Citi Field on July 29. Even a rain-shortened three-inning start at St. Louis on July 10 followed the same pattern of total control. The 37-year-old proved he can still outpitch the best young arms in the game.
A History of Dominance
This award marks the sixth time Sale has earned Pitcher of the Month honors in his career. Per Battery Power, he won this title twice with the Chicago White Sox and twice with the Boston Red Sox before joining the Braves. He previously won with Atlanta in May 2024, making this his second time with the club. Such consistency over 15 years is almost unheard of in modern baseball.
The stats from July back up his long-term success. Sale struck out 34 batters in just 27 innings while holding opponents to a .186 batting average. He finished the month with an 11.33 K/9 rate, a number that screams elite performance. His ability to miss bats while keeping the ball on the ground remains a masterclass in pitching craft. The Braves won four of his five starts, losing only when rain cut his outing short in St. Louis.
This performance cements Sale as a future Hall of Famer who still has something left in the tank. At 37, he is pitching with the ferocity of a player half his age. The fact that he can match a rookie like Skenes in quality starts suggests the Braves have found their ace for the long haul. It also proves that the 2021 championship core still has the firepower to compete at the highest level.
Braves fans should take note of what this means for the rest of the season. If Sale can maintain this level of control through August and September, the rotation becomes nearly unbeatable. The team does not need to rely on luck or defense when Sale is on the mound. He simply shuts the door on opposing hitters. This award is just another brick in a resume that will one day sit in Cooperstown.
The season is well over halfway through, yet the individual performances keep getting better. Sale’s dominance in July was not a fluke; it was a statement. He proved he can still be the best pitcher in the National League. The rest of the league better take notice before it is too late.
