Braves Complete Sweep of Dodgers with Sale’s Dominant Performance
The Atlanta Braves showcased their pitching prowess on Thursday, shutting out the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0 to complete a three-game sweep. Ace Chris Sale led the charge, going toe-to-toe against Dodgers’ star Yoshinobu Yamamoto in a highly anticipated pitchers’ duel.
Sale’s performance was nothing short of spectacular; he pitched all nine innings, allowing only five hits and recording no walks while striking out 11 batters, which matched his season high. He sealed the game with a strikeout of Alex Call, finishing with 109 pitches.
The 37-year-old Sale marked a significant milestone with his first shutout since 2019, breaking a streak of 117 starts. During this time, he achieved three All-Star selections and earned the 2024 NL Cy Young Award. He became one of only five pitchers over the age of 35 to deliver a shutout featuring double-digit strikeouts and no walks in MLB’s modern era, joining legends such as Cy Young and Nolan Ryan.
Notably, Sale also displayed impressive velocity, throwing a fastball at 100.1 mph against the Dodgers’ potent hitter Shohei Ohtani, marking his fastest pitch since July 6, 2018. He later struck Ohtani with a 99.6 mph pitch, further emphasizing his dominance during the game.
Yamamoto, despite suffering the loss, had a commendable outing with 6 1/3 innings pitched, allowing four hits, one run, one walk, and striking out eight batters. The only run of the game came on his very first pitch, when Braves catcher Drake Baldwin launched a hanging splitter for a 402-foot home run.
The Dodgers’ bullpen managed to limit the Braves to just three additional hits throughout the remainder of the match, all of them singles. However, their offense struggled to find a rhythm against Sale, which ultimately left them scoreless.
This victory holds significant implications for playoff seeding in Major League Baseball. The Braves now sit just one game behind the Dodgers for the No. 2 seed in the National League, with the Milwaukee Brewers leading the charge at an impressive 82-51 record.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers face mounting concerns as they have now recorded a troubling 1-12 record since July 31 against teams currently in playoff positions. With the postseason looming just over a month away, this trend poses challenges for the two-time defending champions.
Chris Sale clearly wanted that one.
The Atlanta Braves ace threw a shutout against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, finishing off a three-game sweep with a 1-0 win. The game was billed as a pitchers’ duel against Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto and he most certainly delivered.
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Sale’s final line: 9 innings, 5 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks and 11 strikeouts (tying a season high) on 109 pitches. He finished things off with a punchout of Alex Call.
The 37-year-old Sale turned back the clock in multiple ways. It was his first shutout since 2019, a span of time that includes 117 starts, three All-Star selections and the 2024 NL Cy Young Award. Only five older pitchers have thrown a shutout with double-digit strikeouts and no walks in MLB’s modern era: Cy Young, Eddie Plank, Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson.
He also found some rare heat against the Dodgers’ most dangerous hitter. Facing Shohei Ohtani in the third inning, Sale threw a 100.1 mph fastball, his fastest pitch since July 6, 2018 according to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs.
Sale later struck Ohtani on a 99.6 mph pitch, his second-hardest pitch of the night.
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On the Dodgers’ side, Yamamoto had a perfectly fine outing with 6 1/3 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 1 walk and 8 strikeouts. His only run, the lone run of the game, came on his first pitch when Braves catcher Drake Baldwin got a hold of a hanging splitter for a 402-foot homer.
Yamamoto and the Dodgers bullpen allowed only three more hits the entire game, all singles, but their offense couldn’t muster the needed run against Sale.
The Braves’ win is significant as far as MLB playoff seeding goes. Atlanta is now only one game back from the Dodgers for the No. 2 seed in the NL, with the Milwaukee Brewers sitting just ahead at an MLB-best 82-51.
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More concerning for the Dodgers is that they are now 1-12 since July 31 against teams currently holding a playoff spot. With the postseason just over a month away, that’s not exactly the best sign for the two-time defending champions.
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