Chris Sale, the 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner, completed a stellar performance Thursday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He threw 97 pitches through eight innings, then approached Braves manager Walt Weiss asserting, “This is mine.” Sale efficiently finished the game with just 12 more pitches, leading the Braves to a 1-0 victory, finalizing a three-game sweep over the Dodgers.
At 37, Sale demonstrated his enduring skill, solidifying his status as a top pitcher along with Jacob Misiorowski from the Milwaukee Brewers. Sale’s performance included two of his fastest pitches since 2018, both against Shohei Ohtani. He achieved his first complete game since 2019, with an ERA at 2.06, second only to Misiorowski. The Braves ace struck out 11 batters and maintained a streak of 21 starts allowing three or fewer runs.
Weiss commented, “You can make an argument that, as great a career as he’s having, he’s as good now as he’s ever been.” Sale’s fastball last hit triple digits in 2018 when he was with the Boston Red Sox, who won the World Series that year before Sale underwent Tommy John surgery.
Sale stated on “The Pat McAfee Show,” “Anytime you’re facing a team like that you just try to put your best foot forward, you know it’s going to be a dog fight, you know it’s not going to come easy.” Only one Dodgers player reached scoring position while Sale was pitching.
In an emotional twist, Sale learned prior to the game about the passing of Ashley Foss, a close family friend. Foss was part of the agency managing Sale’s finances, and the families had developed a close bond.
The Dodgers’ pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto matched Sale’s intensity, pitching 6.1 innings and giving up one run. Braves catcher Drake Baldwin hit a first-pitch solo home run off Yamamoto’s splitter, securing the win.
The Braves will stay home to start a series against the Colorado Rockies, while the Dodgers head to Detroit, facing the Tigers. This includes Tarik Skubal’s reunion with his former team following his trade.
Chantz Martin writes for Fox News Digital.
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