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Chris Sale's 2.29 FIP was the best by a starter 37 or older since Randy Johnson in 2001

Chris Sale finished second to Jacob Misiorowski in FIP at 37, and seven qualified starters finished under 3.00 for the second straight year.

At 37, Chris Sale posted a 2.29 FIP, the best by a qualified starter that age or older since Randy Johnson's 2.22 in 2001. Only Jacob Misiorowski, at 2.17, finished lower in 2026.

FIP, or Fielding Independent Pitching, estimates a pitcher's ERA using only strikeouts, walks, hit batters and home runs, the things he controls without help from his defense. Seven qualified starters finished under 3.00, the same as in 2025. Over the last decade the count ran three in 2016, four in 2017, nine in 2018, four in 2019, nine in the 60-game 2020 season, six in 2021, nine in 2022, three in 2023, five in 2024 and seven in 2025. None of this year's seven is a free agent this winter.

Jacob Misiorowski, SP — Milwaukee Brewers: 2.17 FIP

Misiorowski's FIP was the lowest by a qualified starter since Sale's 2.09 in 2024, and his 1.80 ERA was even better. He led qualified starters in seven categories this season, from ERA and FIP to strikeout rate and Win Probability Added. The Brewers had the best record in baseball at 103-59 and are playing Tampa Bay in the World Series.

Chris Sale, SP — Atlanta Braves: 2.29 FIP

Sale keeps aging in reverse. This was his fifth season with a FIP under 3.00 as a qualified starter, after 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2024, and only his 2.09 in 2024 was better. He went 14-9 with a 2.16 ERA, third among qualified starters, ranked second in K-BB% (26.1%) and fourth in fWAR (5.8), and struck out 200 in 162⅔ innings. Atlanta won the NL East at 94-68 and lost to the Dodgers in the Division Series.

Dylan Cease, SP — Toronto Blue Jays: 2.56 FIP

Cease tied for third, the best FIP of his career, in his first season in Toronto. He went 11-6 with a 2.40 ERA, struck out 34.9% of the hitters he faced (second among qualified starters) and held them to a .179 average, also second. The Blue Jays finished 79-83 and missed the playoffs.

Cam Schlittler, SP — New York Yankees: 2.56 FIP

Schlittler tied Cease for third, and his 1.95 ERA beat his FIP by more than half a run. The 25-year-old threw 193⅔ innings, ranked third in fWAR (6.2) and finished in the top five in six of the seven categories we track for starters. The Yankees went 93-68 and were swept by Tampa Bay in the Division Series.

Jesús Luzardo, SP — Philadelphia Phillies: 2.78 FIP

Luzardo was the only qualified starter in the top 10 of all seven of those categories. He went 14-5 with a 2.87 ERA and 221 strikeouts in 178⅔ innings, and ranked fourth in Win Probability Added (3.66). The Phillies went 88-74 and lost to Atlanta in the Wild Card Series.

Cristopher Sánchez, SP — Philadelphia Phillies: 2.80 FIP

Luzardo's teammate threw the most innings of anyone on this list, 207, and went 18-7 with a 2.91 ERA. His 6.2 fWAR ranked second among qualified starters, and his 4.13 Win Probability Added ranked third. He also finished tied for third in the majors with 11 starts of seven or more innings.

Drew Rasmussen, SP — Tampa Bay Rays: 2.81 FIP

Rasmussen went 16-5 with a 2.67 ERA, held hitters to a .198 average (fifth among qualified starters) and ranked second in Win Probability Added (4.17), behind only Misiorowski. The Rays hold an $8 million club option on him for 2027, with a $500,000 buyout. Tampa Bay had the American League's best record at 98-64 and is playing Milwaukee in the World Series.