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It’s only late April, but a clear leader in the National League Cy Young race is emerging.<\/p>\n
Atlanta Braves<\/a> starting pitcher Chris Sale has been off to an incredible start this season. The left-handed ace kept rolling in the Braves’ home game against the Philadelphia Phillies\u00a0<\/a>on Sunday.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sale, 37, allowed one hit and struck out nine batters in a 6-2 win over the Phillies. In doing so, he passed<\/a> five-time All-Star Chuck Finley for the 28th-most strikeouts (2,617) in MLB<\/a> history. He ranks seventh among left-handed pitchers.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sale now has a 5-1 starting record. Entering Sunday, Jose Soriano (Los Angeles Angels<\/a>) and Aaron Ashby (Milwaukee Brewers<\/a>) were the only other pitchers who had five wins.\u00a0<\/p>\n Soriano and Ashby, though, haven’t been as dominant as Sale. Per StatMuse, he’s the only pitcher this season to have four starts with six-plus innings pitched, one or fewer errors and five-plus strikeouts.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nChris Sale separated himself in the super-early Cy Young race in Sunday’s outing against Phillies<\/h2>\n