Braves ace Chris Sale shares feelings on being 2025 Opening Day starter: "It's like Christmas Day"

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale has been named the team's starter on Opening Day and recently shared his excitement to take the mound in the first game of the season.

The 35-year-old is coming off the best season of his career last year, where he won his first NL Cy Young award. His stellar performances have earned him a start on Opening Day after several years and the veteran is looking forward to the big day.

After being named the Braves' starter for their Opening Day game against the Padres in San Diego, Sale shared his feelings on the news, saying (via Braves Today):

"Obviously once the year gets started it's just playing games but being out there for the first one is special. It's like the first day of school, it's like Christmas Day for baseball. So Opening Day is always exciting and I'm appreciative of the moment."

Looking back at the first Opening Day start of his MLB career, he said:

"That would've been 2013, I believe it was in Chicago against the Royals. Pretty sure it was April 1st as well. So my wife and I, we played a trick on my family. We made up a story about how I was really sick in the morning or something like that and tried to mess with everybody a little bit. But it was a good time."

Chris Sale started his MLB career with the Chicago White Sox in 2010 and soon established himself as an elite pitcher, finishing as the league's strikeout leader in 2015. He was then traded to the Boston Red Sox in 2017, where, after a good start, he struggled with several injuries over the years. Sale joined the Braves ahead of last season and won the NL Comeback Player of the Year award after his stellar season.

In 2024, Chris Sale led the NL in wins, ERA and strikeouts, which earned him his first Cy Young. Heading into 2025, the veteran is high in confidence and hoping to continue his good form into the new season.

Chris Sale pays tribute to Boston Red Sox legend and MLB HOFer

Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale broke out a familiar pitching windup during Saturday's Spring Training game against the Boston Red Sox. The former Boston pitcher paid tribute to Luis Tiant, an MLB Hall of Famer and Red Sox legend, who died in October last year.

Tiant was a two-time AL ERA leader who was popular for his dramatic over-the-head pitching windup during his playing days. Sale mimicked the legend's movement and delivered a strike, tipping his cap to one of the greatest pitchers the game has ever seen.