Chris Sale is a consummate ace. It seems unlikely that anyone would contest this at this point, but if they ever do… just point 'em at this game. In a marquee pitching matchup that featured Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the other side, it was Sale and the Braves that prevailed, as the grizzled southpaw gave Atlanta its first complete game shutout since Max Fried's performance in a 5-0 win over the Marlins in April 2024.
This one, though, was a lot tighter. In fact, there was only one run scored in this game… and it came on the first pitch Yamamoto delivered to a Braves batter. That pitch was a hanging splitter, and Drake Baldwin was either expecting a get-me-over or just did an excellent job if he wasn't, launching an absolute no-doubter Chop House-ward for a solo shot. No one else crossed the plate in this game, or even got close to crossing the plate.
That said, this game was about Chris Sale. It was kind of the Chris Sale Game, except that really, he gives you a superlative performance so often that many games are the Chris Sale Game. Against an offense that ranks first or second in pretty much everything, he showed up, showed out, and dominated. He was actually pretty close to a Maddux (shutout on fewer than 100 pitches) until some drama late.
He breezed through the first on nine pitches, with a strikeout, two first-pitch groundouts, and a soft single by Mookie Betts. He struck out two more in the second, working around an overcooked slider that grazed Alex Call on the toe with two outs. He struck out the side on 12 pitches in the third: two three-pitch strikeouts sandwiching a longer plate appearance by Shohei Ohtani. In the fourth, Betts led off with a no-man's land bloop that went for a double (and nearly got Betts thrown out as he took a big turn around second and had to scramble back to the bag). Not to worry, Sale threw just seven more pitches to end the inning, with a couple of easy flyouts chased down by his defense around a strikeout.
Two more quick outs started the fifth, before catcher Ben Rortvedt knocked a liner to left for a single. That brought up Shohei Ohtani, and Sale delivered his outing in microcosm against one of the game's best: he got ahead with a get-me-over fastball, then painted two perfect fastballs on the outer edge. Neither was called a strike, neither was challenged by Baldwin behind the dish. So, Sale got Ohtani to graze a slider, and then obliterated him with 100 mph about chin-high. Then he went back to business as usual in the sixth: another three-pitch strikeout, two other quick field outs.
#sale #game #pitches #plate
This one, though, was a lot tighter. In fact, there was only one run scored in this game… and it came on the first pitch Yamamoto delivered to a Braves batter. That pitch was a hanging splitter, and Drake Baldwin was either expecting a get-me-over or just did an excellent job if he wasn't, launching an absolute no-doubter Chop House-ward for a solo shot. No one else crossed the plate in this game, or even got close to crossing the plate.
That said, this game was about Chris Sale. It was kind of the Chris Sale Game, except that really, he gives you a superlative performance so often that many games are the Chris Sale Game. Against an offense that ranks first or second in pretty much everything, he showed up, showed out, and dominated. He was actually pretty close to a Maddux (shutout on fewer than 100 pitches) until some drama late.
He breezed through the first on nine pitches, with a strikeout, two first-pitch groundouts, and a soft single by Mookie Betts. He struck out two more in the second, working around an overcooked slider that grazed Alex Call on the toe with two outs. He struck out the side on 12 pitches in the third: two three-pitch strikeouts sandwiching a longer plate appearance by Shohei Ohtani. In the fourth, Betts led off with a no-man's land bloop that went for a double (and nearly got Betts thrown out as he took a big turn around second and had to scramble back to the bag). Not to worry, Sale threw just seven more pitches to end the inning, with a couple of easy flyouts chased down by his defense around a strikeout.
Two more quick outs started the fifth, before catcher Ben Rortvedt knocked a liner to left for a single. That brought up Shohei Ohtani, and Sale delivered his outing in microcosm against one of the game's best: he got ahead with a get-me-over fastball, then painted two perfect fastballs on the outer edge. Neither was called a strike, neither was challenged by Baldwin behind the dish. So, Sale got Ohtani to graze a slider, and then obliterated him with 100 mph about chin-high. Then he went back to business as usual in the sixth: another three-pitch strikeout, two other quick field outs.
#sale #game #pitches #plate
2 months ago
