Atlanta Braves News: Chris Sale is leading all three major categories for the NL pitching triple crown. We breakdown his stats, where he stands, and provide a bit of a history lesson on the pitching triple crown.
Chris Sale and Marcell Ozuna have been pillars for the Braves in what has been an unsteady 2024 season. The Braves are 2.0 games up on the Mets for the final wild card spot as of today. Atlanta is 7.0 games back of the Phillies in the NL East ahead of a three-game series with Philadelphia starting tomorrow.
The Braves have suffered through a laundry list of injuries this season. Through it all, Marcell Ozuna and Chris Sale have been playing at superstar levels all season.
Both players now find themselves in the hunt for a triple crown in their respective professions.
Read: Marcell Ozuna hits 36th HR
What is a pitching triple crown?
A pitching triple crown is when a pitcher leads his league in wins, ERA, and strikeouts.
Last time a pitcher won the triple crown
Shane Bieber won the 2020 pitching triple crown in a 60-game Covid-shortened season.
You have to go all the way back to 2011 to find the last true pitching triple crown. Justin Verlander won the American League triple crown while Clayton Kershaw locked up the NL’s title.
28 pitchers in total have won the Triple Crown.
Pitching Triple Crowns by Decade
1960s – 3 Pitching Triple Crowns
Sandy Koufax won all three of the triple crowns in the 1960s.
1970s – 1 Pitching Triple Crown
Steve Carlton won the only triple crown of the 70s in 1972 with 27 wins, a 1.97 ERA, and 310 Ks for the Phillies.
1980s – 1 Pitching Triple Crown
Dwight Gooden took home the only triple crown of this decade in 1985, 13 years since the last one.
1990s – 3 Triple Crowns
Roger Clemens won twice and Pedro Martinez took it home in his legendary 1999 season with the Red Sox. This is the first decade since the 1940s to have more than one player win the pitching triple crown.
2000s – 3 Triple Crowns
The 2000s had three triple crowns from three different pitchers. The first time three guys won a pitching triple crown in a decade since the 1930s. Randy Johnson won in 2002, Johan Santana in 2006, and Jake Peavy in 2007.
2010s – 2 Triple Crowns
As referenced earlier, Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander both took home the crowns in 2011.
2020s – 1 Triple Crown and Counting….
Shane Bieber won in the 2020 Covid-shortened season and now Chris Sale is threatening to take the NL crown in 2024.
How rare is it to win a pitching triple crown?
Between the 1960s and the 2010s, we have averaged 2.17 pitching triple crowns per decade.
What a triple crown means for Chris Sale
Chris Sale has been his oldself with the Braves in 2024. He hasn’t even been a version of his oldself, he’s been that guy. There were a lot of indications that Sale was ready to return from a long list of freak injuries in 2024 and Alex Anthopoulos pounced on the opportunity.
Where Chris Sale Stands in Triple Crown Race
Sale’s 2.62 ERA is pacing the National League.
National League ERA Leaders
- Chris Sale (2.62 ERA)
- Zack Wheeler (2.72 ERA)
- Hunter Greene (2.83 ERA)
- Shota Imanaga (3.11 ERA)
- Logan Webb (3.17 ERA)
National League Wins Leaders
- Chris Sale (14 Wins)
- Dylan Cease (12 Wins) & Zack Wheeler (12 Wins)
Four Tied with 11 Wins
National League Strikeout Leaders
- Chris Sale (187 Ks)
- Dylan Cease (186 Ks)
- Tyler Glasnow (168 Ks)
- Sonny Gray (168 Ks)
Sale is one strikeout ahead of Cease with three fewer starts.
Fun Facts about Chris Sale’s Incredible 2024 Season
Chris Sale leads all of baseball in K/9 (qualified starting pitchers) with 11.96!
His 2.05 walks per nine is 13th best in the MLB.
Of the top 25 pitchers in innings pitched, 24 of them have started 24-26 games. Chris Sale is the only pitcher on the top 25 list with just 23 games started. His 6.17 innings per start is a great average in the modern game. Sale goes deep into games and keeps Atlanta in the mix for the win. That’s why his record is 14-3.
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