Chris Sale has come close to winning the Cy Young award on six occasions. That’s more than most batters who’ve come up against his slider can say, but it begs the question: why hasn’t the Red Sox ace — who’s dominated the majors for seven straight seasons now — taken home the prestigious prize?
First, the credentials. Sale has a 2.88 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP, and 1,629 strikeouts since he first cracked the White Sox’ starting rotation in 2012. For his entire career, he’s 101-62 with a 10.8 strikeouts-per-nine-innings ratio. On Tuesday night, he was handed the ball to start the All-Star Game for the third year in a row — the first pitcher to earn the honor since Hall of Famer Robin Roberts represented the National League from 1953-55.