At 37 years old, Chris Sale is still finding ways to produce performances that would stand out at any point in his career. On Thursday night, the Atlanta Braves ace delivered perhaps his best one of the season, shutting down the Los Angeles Dodgers from the first inning through the last.
Atlanta entered the game trying to finish a three-game sweep of the back-to-back World Series champions, but there was an added complication. The Braves were dealing with a short and battered bullpen, putting even more pressure on Sale to work deep into the game.
He did considerably more than that.
Sale Gives the Braves All Nine Innings
Sale threw a 109-pitch complete-game shutout as Atlanta defeated Los Angeles 1-0, giving the Braves the sweep without requiring a single pitch from the bullpen. He allowed only five hits, issued no walks, and struck out 11 Dodgers, matching his season high.
The workload itself was notable. Sale’s 109 pitches were his most in a start this season and his highest total since throwing 116 pitches in a game last June. The complete-game shutout was also his first since 2019.
But another number stood out.
While striking out Shohei Ohtani in the third inning, Sale fired a fastball that registered at 100.1 mph. According to Braves reporter Mark Bowman, it was Sale’s first triple-digit radar reading since July 6, 2018. He also produced his two hardest fastballs in six seasons during Thursday’s outing.
For a pitcher who has been in the majors since 2010, reaching back for that kind of velocity at 37 only added another layer to an already dominant performance.
Sale Remains in the NL Cy Young Conversation
Sale’s season has put him near the front of the National League Cy Young conversation, even if Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski remains the clear obstacle. Misiorowski has been the leading name in the race, while Sale sits behind him in many of the National League’s major pitching categories.
Barring a significant downturn from Misiorowski over the closing weeks of the season, Sale could have difficulty overtaking him.
That doesn’t diminish what Sale has done for Atlanta.
Thursday’s performance showed exactly what the Braves can have at the top of their rotation when the stakes rise: a veteran starter capable of missing bats, limiting traffic and carrying an entire game himself.
Truist Park Has Become Sale’s Territory
Sale’s work at Truist Park has been particularly difficult for opposing hitters. He owns a 1.45 ERA at Atlanta’s home ballpark this season, a number that could become increasingly important if the Braves are playing postseason baseball.
A playoff opener with Sale on the mound in Atlanta would give the Braves a starter who has already demonstrated that he can dominate without asking much from the bullpen. Against the Dodgers, he didn’t ask anything from it at all.
If the Braves reach October with Sale healthy and pitching anything as he did against Los Angeles on Thursday night, Game 1 at Truist Park presents an uncomfortable assignment for whoever ends up standing in the other dugout. Sale may be 37, but against the Dodgers, he looked capable of taking care of all nine innings by himself.
