The Atlanta Braves completed their three-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers on the back of Chris Sale. Sale threw a 109-pitch shutout, making a leadoff homer by his batterymate, Drake Baldwin, stand in a 1-0 win.
“I was talking about how the Hall of Famers are just different, and that’s a perfect example right there,” said Braves manager Walt Weiss in his postgame presser on BravesVision. “Chris Sale knew we were really thin tonight in the bullpen. So he puts the team on his back and throws a complete-game shutout against the World Champions.”
The Braves were without potentially three relievers for this game. Left-handers Dylan Lee and Dylan Dodd had pitched the first two games of the series. Didier Fuentes threw 36 pitches in a rough night.
Sale saved his best stuff for Shohei Ohtani. The left-hander blew 100 MPH gas by the back-to-back MVP winner, holding Ohtani hitless in four at-bats with two strikeouts.
“It’s absurd. He’s throwing harder than he has at 37 years old. You can make an argument, as great a career as he’s having, he’s as good as he’s ever been. It’s mind-boggling.”
The win got the Braves even closer to a potential Wild Card round bye. They are just a game back of the Dodgers, and own the head-to-head tiebreaker with a 5-1 record against the back-to-back defending champions.
Braves Manager Walt Weiss on Chris Sale’s Shutout
This start might have been Chris Sale’s best in three seasons as a Brave. His All-Star teammate, Drake Baldwin, provided all the run support he needed.
“I’ve talked this guy all year, how special he is; it’s just an example 5000 of why he’s special,” said Weiss. “You never think that scoring a run on the first pitch you see is going to hold up. With Sale on the mound, it did. Just an unbelievable performance.”
Baldwin became the third player since 1963 to crush a leadoff home run on the first pitch he saw in a 1-0 win. The last player to do so was Gerardo Parra of the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 13, 2013. It had been 50 years since Pete Rose achieved the feat.
That swing was all Sale needed to shut out the Dodgers. The Braves ace gave an exhausted bullpen the night off.
“He was on a mission; you could see it. He was attacking from the first pitch. Not that he doesn’t do that, but you could see he had a different look in his eye. The look in his eye is always pretty good, but it was even a bit different tonight.”
Weiss had already planned to send Sale out for the ninth inning, but the left-hander made sure to remove doubt about whose game it was. The Braves manager had closer Raisel Iglesias warming, but was more than content to let his ace finish the game.
Chris Sale Solidifies Hall of Fame Credentials with Braves
The Braves probably weren’t sure what they would get out of Chris Sale when they traded for him ahead of the 2024 season. However, the 36-year-old left-hander has spent his tenure in Atlanta solidifying his Hall of Fame credentials.
His first season in Atlanta resulted in his first Cy Young Award of his career. After a down year in 2025, he’s firmly back in the conversation in 2026. His body of work might not be as strong as Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski, especially after losing that pitcher’s duel, but he should be a finalist.
With him being a factor in the Cy Young Award for two more seasons, Sale’s Hall of Fame credentials are as good as any pitcher in his era. He’s won a World Series, a National League pitching Triple Crown, and finished in the Top 5 Cy Young Award voting in seven seasons.
Braves Manager Makes ‘Special’ Chris Sale Statement Following Dodgers Sweep