How Ex-Red Sox Ace Chris Sale Can Help Boston’s Playoff Push

Chris Sale knows what it’s like to win in Boston, making three playoff appearances and recording the final out of the 2018 World Series to deliver a title with the Red Sox.

While he’s in the first season of his post-Boston chapter with the Atlanta Braves, Sale has at least one chance to be a major help to the Red Sox again in an intensifying American League playoff race.

Sale gets the ball on Wednesday night in Minnesota against the Twins. That’s the team directly in front of the Red Sox in the standings and currently in control of the final AL wild card spot. Should Boston defeat the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday and Sale leads the Braves to a win over the Twins, the Red Sox would move to three games behind Minnesota for the final spot.

That’s a big step from the doomful feeling around Fenway Park after Monday’s demoralizing doubleheader.

After the Red Sox made the necessary move to part ways with Sale in a trade this past offseason, an unsurprising result has played out with a change in scenery. The southpaw might just have the best all-around case for the National League Cy Young award and even a shot at the pitching Triple Crown. He has the most wins (14) and lowest ERA (2.62) in the NL and trails only Dylan Cease of the San Diego Padres for the most strikeouts in the league.

Sale may even be able to help the Red Sox again in the final weekend of the regular season depending on the state of the standings and Atlanta’s rotation setup. The Braves host the Kansas City Royals, who Boston had been immediately chasing before they hopped Minnesota, for a three-game set to close out 2024.

One of Sale’s top outings of the year came against the Red Sox when he struck out 10 Boston hitters across six innings of a 5-0 Braves win on May 8. This time, Boston can root for a dominant start from the left-hander the franchise did from 2017 to 2023.