FORT MYERS, Fla. - Florida Gulf Coast University baseball alumnus and current Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale has been nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award, which is bestowed annually to the player who best represents the game of Baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.
Every year, each MLB Club nominates a player to be considered for the Award in tribute to Clemente's achievements and character. This year's list of nominees features players whose various community and philanthropic activities have focused on important issues ranging from awareness and fundraising to support those with cancer and other illnesses or special needs, education for young people, natural disaster relief, outreach to underserved children and communities in the United States and abroad, and more.
Fans are invited to vote for Sale by clicking
here or by visiting
http://mlb.com/community/roberto-clemente-award.
In his first season with Atlanta, Sale has made a tremendous impact on the community. During each month of the season, Chris Sale hosts a group of deserving Braves fans as his special guests in the Atlanta Braves Foundation's Community Clubhouse, a private and exclusive pregame hospitality space inside Truist Park. Since the start of the season, Chris has welcomed families from Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Children's Miracle Network, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) and Camp Sunshine. The experience includes food, beverages and Braves swag for each group in the Community Clubhouse. Chris also makes it a priority to visit the group pregame, spend quality time with them, take photos, sign autographs and answer any questions.
On Memorial Day, Chris hosted families from TAPS, a nonprofit organization focused on providing bereavement resources and experiences for families suffering the loss of a military family member. The families had the chance to go on the field before the game to meet Chris and take photos. This was an incredibly moving experience for the five families from Braves Country who had recently lost a loved one.
Chris also played a significant role in the Braves' Lou Gehrig Day celebration at Truist Park in 2024. Chris lost his grandmother to ALS in 1995 when he was 5 years old. Her death led him to learn about Lou Gehrig whose own battle with ALS brought widespread awareness to the disease. Inspired by Gehrig's legacy and the impact of his story, Chris developed a deep connection to the cause, which has influenced his career and philanthropic efforts in professional baseball profoundly.
This season for Lou Gehrig Day, Chris joined fellow Brave Matt Olson in honoring twin sisters from Holly Springs, N.C., who had recently lost their father to ALS. The sisters were each awarded a scholarship from the Live Like Lou Foundation for the upcoming school year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Chris and Matt both stepped up to match the scholarship donation. Not only did Chris participate in the special pregame ceremony and check presentation, but he also came out of the clubhouse early to meet the ALS families taking part in the day and caught the first pitch thrown by the son of a local ALS patient from Emory Hospital. Chris' contribution and presence on Lou Gehrig Day made the event extremely special for the participants and their families.
Longtime fans of FGCU are already familiar with Sale's philanthropic work. Along with his wife Brianne, the Sales have hosted a shoe drive during basketball season at FGCU to benefit Laces of Love. That charity helps to provide new shoes to underprivileged children in Lee and Collier Counties.
