Chris Sale was not ready to hand the ball over. After eight scoreless innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night, the Atlanta Braves ace made his intentions clear to Walt Weiss as he headed back to the dugout.
Sale had thrown 96 pitches and closer Raisel Iglesias was warming up. But according to Braves reporter Grant McAuley, Sale looked at Weiss and told him, “I’ve got this one.”
The left-hander returned for the ninth and finished what he started, completing a five-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts in Atlanta’s 1-0 victory.
The performance also completed a three-game sweep of the Dodgers and came during an emotional night for Sale, who had learned before the game about the sudden loss of a close personal friend.
He went head-to-head with Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a tense pitching duel at Truist Park. Yamamoto allowed one earned run over 6.3 innings while striking out eight, but the Dodgers could not solve Sale.
The Braves ace threw 109 pitches and did not issue a walk. He held the Dodgers to five hits while striking out 11 to finish off one of his strongest outings of the season.
The win moved Sale to 13-9 on the year. He now leads the Major Leagues with a 2.06 ERA and has recorded 177 strikeouts across 144 innings.
Brett Davis-Imagn Images
It was also Sale’s first official nine-inning complete-game shutout since the 2019 season, adding another milestone to an already dominant campaign.
Atlanta improved to 79-55 with the victory and remained in first place in the National League East. The Dodgers fell to 80-54 but still held first place in the NL West.
With October approaching, Sale’s decision to take the mound for the ninth was a statement of confidence. Weiss may have been prepared to turn to his bullpen, but Sale had a different idea. And after 109 pitches, 11 strikeouts and nine scoreless innings, he proved why he wanted the ball.
ALSO SEE:
- NRFI and YRFI MLB Bets Today: Best First-Inning Predictions for Friday, Aug. 28
- MLB Home Run Predictions Today: Best HR Prop Bets for Friday, Aug. 28
