Chris Sale clearly wanted that one.
The Atlanta Braves ace threw a shutout against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, finishing off a three-game sweep with a 1-0 win. The game was billed as a pitchers' duel against Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto and he most certainly delivered.
Sale's final line: 9 innings, 5 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks and 11 strikeouts (tying a season high) on 109 pitches. He finished things off with a punchout of Alex Call.
The 27-year-old Sale turned back the clock in multiple ways. It was his first shutout since 2019, a span of time that includes 117 starts, three All-Star berths and the 2024 NL Cy Young Award. Only five older pitchers have thrown a shutout with double-digit strikeouts and no walks in MLB's modern era: Cy Young, Eddie Plank, Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson.
He also found some rare heat against the Dodgers' most dangerous hitter. Facing Shohei Ohtani in the third inning, Sale threw a 100.1 mph fastball, his fastest pitch since July 6, 2018 according to MLB.com's Sarah Langs.
#shutout #strikeouts
The Atlanta Braves ace threw a shutout against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, finishing off a three-game sweep with a 1-0 win. The game was billed as a pitchers' duel against Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto and he most certainly delivered.
Sale's final line: 9 innings, 5 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks and 11 strikeouts (tying a season high) on 109 pitches. He finished things off with a punchout of Alex Call.
The 27-year-old Sale turned back the clock in multiple ways. It was his first shutout since 2019, a span of time that includes 117 starts, three All-Star berths and the 2024 NL Cy Young Award. Only five older pitchers have thrown a shutout with double-digit strikeouts and no walks in MLB's modern era: Cy Young, Eddie Plank, Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson.
He also found some rare heat against the Dodgers' most dangerous hitter. Facing Shohei Ohtani in the third inning, Sale threw a 100.1 mph fastball, his fastest pitch since July 6, 2018 according to MLB.com's Sarah Langs.
#shutout #strikeouts
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