At 5-0, Sale announcing presence with authority

Is this the year for Chris Sale?

He’s made himself the early front-runner for the American League Cy Young Award. He’s 5-0 in five starts while compiling a 1.66 ERA and a staggeringly low 0.68 WHIP.

Sale, who last season set the White Sox franchise record with 274 strikeouts, worked eight strong innings in a 10-1 victory at Toronto on Tuesday night, with Edwin Encarnacion’s solo home run one of only four hits he allowed.

Shutting down the Blue Jays’ collection of right-handed bashers is an impressive feat for a left-handed starter. But it was Sale doing what he does, which by now should surprise no one.

Outside of Clayton Kershaw, no Major Leaguer is pitching as consistently at a high level as the White Sox left-hander from Florida Gulf Coast University. The skinny guy with the three-quarters arm angle and devastating selection of pitches.

Just check Cy Young voting.

Sale was sixth in 2012, fifth in ’13, third in ’14 and fourth in ’15. Only David Price has been in the AL top-six three of the last four years, and Felix Hernandez is the only other guy to finish there twice.

Sale hasn’t put everything together for 30-plus starts in a season like Price in ’12, Max Scherzer in ’13, Corey Kluber in ’14 or Dallas Keuchel last year. But this might just be the one.

He’s got some things going for him in his age-27 season he didn’t have in the past. Among the ones that seem significant:

• Sale has become the White Sox’s team leader, not just their best pitcher.

He stuck out his neck in …

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