Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale is, on a per-inning basis, currently pitching more or less the way Sandy Koufax did in his prime. (His park- and league-adjusted ERA-plus of 195 is actually a little better than Koufax's best-ever mark, though yes of course Koufax pitched a hell of a lot more innings, you don't need to remind anyone.) If he were just another factory-model pitcher with broad shoulders, a square butt, and a neat delivery designed to ease the pressure on various moving parts, he'd be highly entertaining just because no one could touch him.
Sale isn't like that at all, though; from his build to his arm angles, he's just plain strange. For a variety of reasons, pitching deliveries trend more toward orthodoxy over time, but Sale excels while awkwardly flailing around and generally looking as if something is about to snap on every pitch. (It isn't.) Below are some of the year's best photos of Sale doing unusual and harmful-looking things, along with a few good ones of his follow-through, which, viewed by itself, might almost make you think he's graceful.
August 30 vs. Detroit Tigers; photo by Jeffrey Phelps/Getty
August 24 vs. New York Yankees; photo by Kathy Willens/AP
August 12 vs. San Francisco Giants; photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty
August 6 vs. Texas Rangers; photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty
July 21 vs. Kansas City Royals; photo by Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
July 21 vs. Kansas City Royals; photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty
July 15 vs. National League All-Stars; photo by Elsa/Getty
July 4 vs. Seattle Mariners; photo by David Banks/Getty
June 18 vs. San Francisco Giants; photo by Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
June 7 vs. Los Angeles Angels; photo by Alex Gallardo/AP
June 1 vs. San Diego Padres; photo by David Banks/Getty
May 27 vs. Cleveland Indians; photo by Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
May 22 vs. New York Yankees; photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty
April 6 vs. Kansas City Royals; photo by Ed Zurga/Getty
Top image: May 22 vs. New York Yankees; photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty