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Selig signed the bottom of the card in blue ink.

In 2020 Sale was inducted into the Florida Gulf Coast University Hall of Fame.

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Chris Sale made his Major League debut on August 6, 2010, at twenty-one years of age. His first appearance began shakily when he issued four straight balls for a walk. Then, on an 0-and-2 pitch, Nick Markakis lined a single, ending Sale’s night early as manager Ozzie Guillen took the ball.

Despite that rough start, Sale quickly showed promise. During his first month in the big leagues, he appeared in ten games, pitching ten innings and allowing only one run while striking out sixteen.

On September 6, he relieved Edwin Jackson with one out in the seventh inning and completely dominated. Sale pitched 2 2/3 innings, gave up no hits, and struck out three. The White Sox rallied in the tenth inning, giving Sale his first major league victory.

Shown here is a ticket to Sale’s first victory as a big leaguer. The pitcher signs this Beckett-authenticated piece and adds the inscription, “1st Win”.

By season’s end, Sale appeared in twenty-one games, finishing with a 2–1 record, four saves, and a remarkable 1.93 ERA.

The following season, Sale strengthened his reputation as a fierce reliever. Appearing in fifty-eight games, he went 2–2 with eight saves and a 2.79 ERA. His electric fastball and devastating slider made hitters uncomfortable.

As a result, in 2012, the White Sox shifted Sale into the starting rotation. That decision launched a dominant era for the left-hander, who earned seven consecutive All-Star selections. Through consistency, intensity, and elite command, Chris Sale established himself as one of baseball’s most feared and respected pitchers.

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From 2012 through 2018, Chris Sale ruled the American League, earning seven straight All-Star nods and mounting respect. In his first season as a starter in 2012, he burst onto the scene with a 17-8 record, 3.05 ERA, and 6.0 WAR. That breakout year ended with a sixth-place Cy Young finish and a sense that greatness was inevitable.

In 2013, Sale battled hard, posting an 11-14 record despite a league-leading four complete games, and a stingy 3.07 ERA. Armed with gaudy advanced metrics (137 ERA+, 7.0 WAR), Cy Young voters gave him one first-place vote and a 21% share.

By 2014, Sale’s command and poise reached new heights as he went 12-4 with a 2.17 ERA.
He topped the league with a 173 ERA+ and finished third in Cy Young voting. Momentum carried into 2015, when he struck out an AL-best 274 batters while going 13-11 with a 3.41 ERA. That dominance earned him fourth place in Cy Young voting and reinforced his status as an ace.

In 2016, Sale remained steady, going 17-10 with a 3.34 ERA and an AL-best six complete games to his name. His consistency earned another top-five finish and cemented his reputation for control and competitiveness.

The following year, his first in Boston, Sale overwhelmed hitters with a 17-8 record and 2.90 ERA.
He struck out 308 batters – the most in the majors – and finished second in Cy Young voting.
Then came 2018, when Sale went 12-4 with a 2.11 ERA and a 6.5 WAR as the anchor of the Red Sox championship season.

Across those seven seasons, Sale amassed 99 wins, a 2.91 ERA, 39.o WAR, and a 143 ERA+. Though he never received the Cy Young nod with the White Sox, he goes down as one of the greatest pitchers in their franchise history.

Shown here is the lifetime pass to the Hall of Fame issued to Early Wynn, the White Sox first Cy Young Award winner. Though injuries sidetracked Sale’s path to Cooperstown, he resurrected his quest for a plaque in 2024. That season he finally got his Cy Young hardware.

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After looking like a sure-fire Hall of Famer in his first decade in the bigs Chris Sale battled injuries from 2020 through 2023. During those four years he pitched in just 31 games, going 11-7 with a 3.93 earned run average. Then in 2024 Sale delivered a resurgent campaign, spearheading his team’s rotation with authority.

Six years removed from his last double-digit win total, he discovered the Fountain of Youth and captured the NL’s pitching Triple Crown. The 18 wins, 2.38 ERA, and 225 strikeouts were the first trifecta of league-leading numbers since Clayton Kershaw in 2011. His dominance made Sale the easy choice for both the Comeback Player of the Year and the Cy Young Award.

His overall performance restored Sale to elite status and got him back on the path to Cooperstown. Sale’s 2024 season stands out as truly great late-career resurgence.

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Chris Sale presents a compelling case for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. He will challenge traditional notions of what constitutes a Cooperstown pitcher.

Sale will not hit the traditional “300-win” or “3,000 strikeout” club. His wins total remains short of 200 and his strikeout total, while elite for rate, falls short of 3,000. The fact that he lacks those milestone cumulative totals means his case pivots more on dominance and peak performance than sheer longevity or accumulation.

Importantly, Sale is emerging as a test case for how modern starting pitchers will be judged for Cooperstown. As noted by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) and other analysts, the era of 300-win pitchers may be over, so voters must weigh rate metrics, peak seasons and durability differently. Sale’s inclusion forces voters to ask: do you induct elite but shorter-volume careers? His high strikeouts per nine, multiple 200-K seasons and triple-crown year all bolster that shift.

In short, his case rests on his peak dominance, elite strikeout rate, Cy Young / Triple Crown credentials, and value in the changing pitcher-evaluation landscape. While he lacks the traditional volume milestones, his résumé aligns with how the Hall’s voters may adapt to modern pitching norms.

If he gets elected, Veterans Committee voters may find room for other pitchers with high peaks and less volume. One such hurler is two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana. The 2006 Pitching Triple Crown winner led the league in ERA or ERA+ four times in a five-year span from 2004-2008. In addition to his two Cy Young nods, Santana also finished in third-place twice, and fifth and seventh once each. One-and-done on the Cooperstown ballot in 2018, many believe he deserves a plaque. Sale’s induction just might help facilitate that.

Shown here is the receipt Santana signed after receiving his All Star ring in 2009.