Sale Completes First Shutout Since 2019, Leads Braves Past Dodgers 1-0

Chris Sale delivered a dominant performance Thursday night, pitching the Atlanta Braves to a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers and capturing his first complete game since 2019. The 37-year-old left-hander allowed just five hits and no walks while striking out 11 batters in the decisive shutout, giving Atlanta a series sweep of the defending World Series champions.

Sale, motivated by learning before the game of the death of his friend Ashley Foss, a financial advisor who worked with his agent B.B. Abbott, was determined to finish the contest himself. After completing eight innings on 97 pitches, Sale entered the dugout and told manager Walt Weiss the ninth inning belonged to him, leaving no room for the bullpen reinforcements Weiss had prepared.

The veteran hurler’s efficiency was remarkable, requiring only 60 pitches through five innings and 81 through seven. Of his 109 total pitches, 80 found the strike zone. Sale also registered his fourth double-digit strikeout performance of the season, marking the 95th of his career and moving him closer to Hall of Famers in that category.

With Freddie Freeman’s single opening the ninth, Sale retired three straight Dodgers batters to seal the shutout. His dominant outing lowered his ERA to 2.06, trailing only Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski among qualified major league pitchers. This marked Sale’s fourth career shutout and first since a three-hitter against Kansas City on June 5, 2019.

Weiss praised Sale’s performance as Hall of Fame caliber, noting the pitcher recognized the team’s depleted bullpen and took full responsibility for the victory. Sale improved to 13-9 on the season while also reaching triple digits on a fastball for the first time since July 2018.