For five years Chris Sale just couldn’t catch a break. Long one of the most dominant pitchers in the majors, the former Red Sox ace suffered one injury setback after another, each seemingly more bizarre than the last.

After getting only 31 starts from Sale in the first four years of his five-year, $145 million contact extension, the Red Sox finally pulled the plug this past offseason, trading the big left-hander to the Atlanta Braves.

It felt at the time like the Red Sox were maximizing the value of a depressed asset, one whose best days were long in the rearview mirror. But then, something unexpected happened.

The old Chris Sale finally reemerged.

Sale, now 35, is enjoying a career renaissance with the Braves, and as of this writing he is the betting favorite to win his first career Cy Young Award. Entering his Saturday night start Sale was 16-3 with a 2.38 ERA and 213 strikeouts in 166.2 innings, and he led or tied for the MLB lead in wins, ERA, strikeouts, WAR for pitchers (5.9) and strikeouts per nine inning (11.5).

If he does win the National League Cy Young Award, it will be the first of his career, a long overdue honor for a pitcher who finished top-six in the voting seven straight years between 2012-18.

Sale’s renewed success is a fantastic story and a testament to his perseverance. Between Tommy John surgery, the stress fracture in his rib, the broken pinkie suffered after getting hit by a line drive, the bicycle accident that resulted in a broken wrist and finally the stress reaction in his shoulder blade, Sale spent a lot of dark days in the trainer’s room hoping one day he could not only get back on the field, but stay there.

It’s also bittersweet for the Red Sox, who waited and waited for the old Sale only to see him finally return in another team’s uniform. It doesn’t help that whatever curse seemingly afflicted him in Boston has transferred to his successors. Vaughn Grissom, the 23-year-old infielder acquired in exchange for Sale, has dealt with his own run of injuries since joining the organization. Lucas Giolito, signed as a free agent the same weekend Sale was traded and his de facto replacement in the rotation, went down with a season-ending elbow injury during spring training.

Over the long run, this season could also revive Sale’s chances of one day being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

There’s no doubt Sale is one of the best pitchers of his era, but before this season he likely wouldn’t have had the longevity needed to put him over the hump. Now, in addition to his monster peak and the 2018 World Series championship, Sale has a second apex and potentially a Cy Young Award, accomplishments that would make it easier for voters to forgive the five-year downturn.

He is also now one of just 22 starting pitchers in MLB history to earn eight All-Star nods. All of the others are either in the Hall of Fame, will be once eligible, or would have been if not for steroid-related complications.

Even by modern standards Sale’s counting stats aren’t going to be anything special, but in a time where starters pitch fewer innings, earn fewer wins and accrue smaller totals than their predecessors from past eras, Sale’s modest record and innings totals may not be the dealbreakers they might have once been.

Plus, if he’s able to pitch effectively for another two or three years, Sale’s final totals could wind up comparable to the late Hall of Famer Roy Halladay, who retired with a 194-98 record, 3.36 ERA, 2,586 innings, 2,022 strikeouts and 62.4 WAR. Sale currently has a 136-83 record, 3.04 ERA, 1,947.1 innings, 2,402 strikeouts and 53 WAR.

Thanks to a two-year contract extension signed shortly after he was dealt to Atlanta — a risky decision by the Braves that has paid off handsomely — Sale will remain under team control through the end of 2026. There’s no doubt the deal has been a resounding win for Atlanta, who won’t have any regrets even if Grissom bounces back and becomes a long-term stalwart in Boston, and now the Braves will stand to benefit as Sale looks to extend his second act and finish his career on a high note.

And after that, Cooperstown may await.

Another no-no bid for Francis

Last month Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Bowden Francis came within three outs of throwing a no-hitter against the Los Angeles Angels before seeing his bid fall short in the ninth inning. His next time out, he carried another no-hit bid into the sixth inning against the Red Sox at Fenway Park, ultimately allowing one hit over seven shutout innings.

This past Wednesday, he almost pulled it off again.

Facing the New York Mets, the 28-year-old carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning once again before losing the bid on a home run by Francisco Lindor. It was the third time in four starts Francis allowed one hit over seven or more innings, and the second time he carried a no-no bid into the ninth.

According to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, Francis is the only pitcher with multiple no-hit bids of eight-plus innings within his first 11 MLB starts since 1961, and he’s also one of just four pitchers to lose multiple no-hit bids in the ninth in the same season, the others being Nolan Ryan in 1989, Dave Stieb in 1988 and Ed Walsh in 1906.

Bowden Francis is the only pitcher with multiple no-hit bids of 8+ innings within his first 11 career starts in the majors, in at least the expansion era (since 1961)

h/t @EliasSports + @Spokes_Murphy

— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) September 11, 2024

Not bad for a guy who has spent most of the season as a reliever.

A starter in the minors who primarily pitched out of the bullpen in his first two seasons in the majors, Francis was inserted into the Blue Jays rotation full-time in early August and has made the most of his opportunity. Over seven starts since Aug. 7 he has posted a 1.50 ERA with 46 strikeouts and only five walks over 48 innings, and opposing batters are hitting only .101 over that stretch.

In a season where just about everything has gone wrong for Toronto, Bowden’s emergence has been a notable bright spot.

Ohtani approaching 50-50

What more can we say about Shohei Ohtani? Even in a year where he isn’t pitching while he recovers from elbow surgery, the two-time MVP is still finding ways to accomplish things nobody has ever seen.

Ohtani is on the verge of becoming the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and record 50 stolen bases in a season, an accomplishment that will likely also help net him his third MVP award, which would be the first by a player who is primarily a designated hitter.

As of this writing Ohtani is up to 47 home runs and 48 stolen bases, which is already the highest total that a player has reached in both categories in a single-season. The previous high was 42, which Alex Rodriguez reached during the 1998 season in which he hit 42 homers and stole 46 bases.

Beyond those historic totals, Ohtani is also batting .290 with 166 hits, 104 RBI, 116 runs scored, a .985 OPS and 7.3 WAR, all of which rank among the best in baseball. Safe to say the Dodgers have gotten their money’s worth through the first year of Ohtani’s new deal.

WooSox voice hired by Knicks

Big congratulations to Worcester Red Sox play-by-play man Tyler Murray, who has been hired as the new radio voice of the New York Knicks. The 34-year-old, who was born in Connecticut and grew up in Medfield, has served as a WooSox broadcaster since 2022 while also filling in on WEEI’s Red Sox broadcasts, and now he’ll get to call games for the team he’s rooted for since childhood.

“I’ve dreamed of calling Knicks games for as long as I can remember, so my family and I couldn’t be more excited,” Murray said. “It’s an honor to join MSG Networks, and to represent everyone who has lifted me up along the way.”

Murray is now the 13th former full-time PawSox/WooSox broadcaster currently working in MLB, the NFL or the NBA. Among the others are Gary Cohen (New York Mets), Don Orsillo (San Diego Padres), Bob Socci (New England Patriots), Will Flemming (Boston Red Sox), David Flemming (San Francisco Giants), Mike Monaco (ESPN and Boston Red Sox), Jeff Levering and Josh Maurer (both Milwaukee Brewers).

He did what?

Baseball can be a grind, and many players would probably admit privately that the end of the season can be a relief. But according to a report by ESPN, one Minnesota Twins minor leaguer was so over the season that he intentionally sabotaged his own team’s chances of making the playoffs.

According to ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan, the Twins released minor league catcher Derek Bender on Thursday after he told opposing hitters the types of pitches that were coming in a game that ultimately eliminated his team from playoff contention. The incident reportedly took place in the second game of a Sept. 6 doubleheader involving the Twins’ and Detroit Tigers’ Low-A affiliates, the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels and Lakeland Flying Tigers, and Lakeland scored four runs in the second inning before winning 6-0 to clinch the Florida State League West division title

Fort Myers coaches were reportedly notified by Lakeland coaches about the pitch-tipping after the game, and Bender had reportedly told teammates he wanted the season to be over.

Bender was a sixth-round draft pick out of Coastal Carolina this past July. He appeared in 19 games for Fort Myers and batted .200 with two home runs, eight RBI and a .606 OPS.