Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale faced unexpected ejection on Sunday afternoon at Yankee Stadium—without even taking the mound. Sale’s removal stemmed from tension lingering since the previous game against the New York Yankees.
Before the opening pitch, Sale confronted umpire Dan Merzel, voicing his frustration over a balk call made on Saturday night. Sale’s vociferous dissent led Merzel swiftly to eject him, intensifying a heated exchange that involved crew chief Dan Bellino.
Sale has a rare history with balks, recording only two prior to the controversial call made in the fifth inning. This balk contributed directly to the Yankees’ victory, allowing rookie Spencer Jones to score after his RBI triple.
The game concluded with the Yankees winning 5-4, sealing Sale’s fate for one error during an otherwise stellar season with the Braves. His ERA remains impressive at 2.20 across 21 starts. Braves manager Walt Weiss intervened during the disagreement, eventually getting ejected for the same reason.
Bellino later explained that Sale was called for stepping from the windup without proper declaration during the fifth inning. It impacted his performance, yielding three runs, five hits, and marking his first loss since late June.
Despite Sale’s absence, the Braves narrowly defeated the Yankees 2-1 in extra innings on Sunday. Thus salvaging the series although Sale could not witness his teammates from the dugout throughout.
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