Chris Sale finishes third in NL Cy Young Award voting

Iglesias, Fuentes and Lee garner votes for reliever of the year award

Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale (51) delivers to a Philadelphia Phillies batter during the eighth inning of Game 3 of a MLB National League Wild Card playoff series between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026, in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/AJC)

By Chad Bishop

12 minutes ago

Braves’ left-handed starting pitcher Chris Sale finished third in Cy Young Award voting among National League pitchers, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America announced Wednesday.

Sale finished one point behind Phillies’ left-handed starter Cristopher Sánchez. Jacob Misiorowski of the Brewers was the unanimous winner with 30 first-place votes.

Now a three-time Cy Young Award finalist, the 37-year-old Sale won the award in 2024, his first season with the Braves, and has now finished among the top six in voting six other times.

Atlanta Braves manager Walt Weiss (right) speaks with pitching coach Jeremy Hefner (85) during the first inning of Game 4 of the MLB National League Division Series between the Braves and the Los Angeles Dodgers, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in Atlanta. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

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In 2026, Sale went 14-9 with a 2.16 ERA and 0.984 WHIP, both his lowest marks since 2018. He struck out 200 batters in 162 2/3 innings pitched over 27 starts.

Sale, also named Wednesday to the All-MLB first team, allowed three earned runs or fewer in all but one start and struck out at least 10 hitters on five separate occasions.

Fellow Braves pitchers Raisel Iglesias, Didier Fuentes and Dylan Lee all garnered votes on the ballot for NL reliever of the year.

Iglesias, currently a free agent, had 34 saves in 37 opportunities. The right-handed closer threw 60 innings and had a 2.55 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP and fanned 64 batters.

Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar (left) — pictured with right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. during spring training in February — enters 2027 in the third year of a three-year contract. If Atlanta decides to cut ties with Profar, they would still owe him his $15 million salary for 2027. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

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Fuentes (7-2) became a revelation for the Braves in his new role in the bullpen, appearing in 58 games and striking out 92 batters in 72 1/3 innings. The young right-hander had a 2.45 ERA and recorded three saves and 18 holds.

Lee (6-1), a lefty, had a team-high 71 appearances and 31 holds. He had a 0.97 WHIP and 3.09 ERA over 67 innings.

Iglesias finished fifth (17 points) in voting for the NL reliever of the year award which was won by Padres closer Mason Miller. Fuentes came in seventh (10) and Lee was 10th (3).