Chris Sale's 10-Hit Blowup Has His Old Team Dreaming Of October, And The AL Is Still Asleep

Alright, listen up, Seattle. While we're all still buzzing from the Mariners' 6-5 nail-biter against Baltimore, there's some wild stuff going down in the American League, and it involves a familiar face who used to carve up batters for his current opponent. We're talking Chris Sale, the dude who's been dropping Cy Young-level performances all season for the Braves. But get this: he's heading back to Chicago on Wednesday to face the White Sox, the team that drafted him and watched him become an absolute superstar, right after he just had a super weird outing that has everyone scratching their heads. This isn't just another game, folks, this is a grudge match with serious stakes for a White Sox squad that's suddenly dangerous.

What's Going On With Sale's Cy Young Campaign?

Let's be real, Sale has been lights out this season. An 8-4 record with a ridiculous 2.23 ERA? That's elite stuff. He's a huge reason the Braves have MLB's best record and the second-best team ERA. The guy's only given up more than three earned runs once in 12 starts, and he's held opponents to one run or less eight times, all while averaging six innings a start. Plus, his 86 strikeouts were tied for third-most in the National League heading into this week. This is the Sale we remember, the guy who won 74 games for the White Sox with a 3.00 ERA. But then, last week against the Blue Jays, things got a little...un-Sale-like. He got shelled for 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings in a 7-2 loss. Yeah, only three earned runs, which is kinda Sale magic, but it was his second straight start failing to hit six innings after seven consecutive starts of doing just that. It was also the first time he'd given up double-digit hits since way back in 2021. Despite all that, his four-seamer was still averaging 97 mph for the second straight outing, his highest average velocity since 2019, and he felt Toronto benefited from a lot of soft contact. He literally said, "You’ve got to chalk it up to just being one of those days, really. I just felt like anything that got put in play was a hit. My command was in and out at times. My stuff was pretty good, but it just seemed like they always found holes." Sounds like a blip, right?

The White Sox Are Not Who You Think They Are

Here's where it gets wild. While Sale is trying to regain his dominant form, he's not facing the same cellar-dwelling White Sox he's seen in recent years. This squad is actually "brimming with talent" and, get this, they're in the thick of the AL playoff hunt and gripping an AL Wild Card spot! Can you believe it? This is the same team that had three consecutive seasons of 100-plus losses, including an MLB-record 121-loss campaign in 2024. Talk about a glow-up! They've cooled a bit in June, but they went 18-10 in May and even had two five-game winning streaks. This ain't your grandpa's White Sox. They're legit, and they want to make some noise. Sale's history against them is 2-2 with a 2.92 ERA in six starts. His last outing against them was in his 2024 Cy Young season, where he threw seven innings and struck out 11 but still took the loss in a 1-0 White Sox win. Only Randal Grichuk, hitting .222 with two homers off Sale, and Drew Romo, 0-for-3, have faced him from the current White Sox roster. The team itself is 9-10 against lefties this season. This Wednesday game is going to be a must-watch. Can Sale shake off that bizarre outing and dominate his former team, or will the surging White Sox prove that their turnaround is the real deal and push deeper into the AL playoff picture? You know the entire league will be tuned in to see if Sale gets back on track, or if this White Sox Cinderella story picks up even more steam.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.