Sixteen Seasons, 2,700 Strikeouts

The Cheeseburger

In May 2010, White Sox scout Nick Hostetler was at Florida Gulf Coast University to watch a left-handed junior throw. Chris Sale gave up four hits and struck out 11. Between innings he kept ducking behind the dugout to be sick — a cheeseburger had given him food poisoning. He kept dominating. Hostetler wrote the toughness into his draft report, and the White Sox took Sale 13th overall in the 2010 MLB Draft. He was in the majors by August 6.

He was 21, six-foot-six and 180 pounds, born in Lakeland, Florida, where he played baseball and basketball at Lakeland Senior High School. The Rockies had drafted him in the 21st round out of high school in 2007. He did not sign. He went to Florida Gulf Coast, went 11-0 with a 2.01 ERA his junior year, and led the NCAA in strikeouts.

Sixteen Seasons

Seven years on the South Side. Six in Boston, where he won a World Series in 2018. Now in his third season with Atlanta, where he took the Cy Young and a Gold Glove in 2024. They call him The Conductor. On July 17, Sale recorded his 2,700th career strikeout. He is 37. The number took 2,189 innings across 411 appearances — 330 of them starts — and a career ERA of 2.96 with a WHIP of 1.05. His record is 155-94. Ten All-Star selections span the career, from 2012 through 2018 and again from 2024 through 2026.

His college coach, Dave Tollett, said Sale handled the pressures of impending fatherhood, national awards, and the draft as a 20-year-old better than anyone he had coached. Sale's son Rylan was born in early May 2010, during that undefeated season. Sale skipped the draft to stay home with his family. He said the responsibility motivated him, because others depended on him. He and his wife Brianne, whom he met at Florida Gulf Coast, have three sons now.

Sale is 37, left-handed, pitching for the Atlanta Braves. He has 2,702 strikeouts.

Reporting: ESPN, Wikipedia, Baseball-Reference, MLB.com. Career and biographical data: MLB StatsAPI, via the Fever engine.