Chris Sale Shutout: Braves Sweep Dodgers Behind 100.1 MPH Fastball

Chris Sale recorded 11 strikeouts and allowed zero walks in a 1-0 shutout to clinch a Braves sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

ATLANTA -- Chris Sale threw a 100.1 mph fastball and struck out 11 batters to lead the Atlanta Braves to a 1-0 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday. The 37-year-old left-hander scattered five hits and issued zero walks across nine innings to clinch a three-game sweep of the reigning champions. Atlanta’s lone run came on the first pitch of the game from Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, which Drake Baldwin hit 402 feet to right field for a solo home run. Sale preserved that narrow lead by throwing 109 total pitches, including 12 in the final frame after telling manager Walt Weiss, "This is mine."

Sale’s performance marked his first complete game since 2019 and lowered his season ERA to 2.06. He currently trails only Jacob Misiorowski for the major league lead in that category. The veteran pitcher has now completed 21 consecutive starts without surrendering more than three runs, maintaining the longest active streak in MLB. During the win, Sale reached triple digits on the radar gun for the first time since July 6, 2018. His 100.1 mph heater occurred in the third inning against Shohei Ohtani, who fouled the pitch off. In the fifth inning, Sale recorded a strikeout against Ohtani with a 99.6 mph fastball located above the strike zone.

Historic Milestones at Age 37

At 37 years and 150 days old, Sale became the oldest pitcher to record a 10-strikeout, no-walk shutout since Randy Johnson’s perfect game against the Braves in 2004. He is also the oldest pitcher to throw a shutout against the Dodgers since Rick Reuschel accomplished the feat on July 3, 1987. This outing represented Sale’s 28th career game featuring at least 10 strikeouts and zero runs allowed. This total ties him with Max Scherzer for the fifth-most such games since the pitching mound was moved to its current distance in 1893. Only Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, and Randy Johnson have recorded more.

The victory moved the Braves to a 79-55 record, placing them one game behind the Dodgers for the No. 2 seed in the National League and a potential first-round bye. Dodgers hitter Mookie Betts, a former teammate of Sale on the Boston Red Sox, noted that only one Los Angeles runner reached scoring position throughout the contest. Sale’s velocity surge comes two years after he earned his first Cy Young Award and years after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Emotional Motivation and Bullpen Relief

Sale entered the start having recently learned of the death of Ashley Foss, a 42-year-old close family friend who died of cancer. Foss was the daughter and sister of the agents who have managed Sale’s finances for decades. The pitcher noted after the game that he felt an extra presence helping him on the mound. His endurance provided critical relief for an Atlanta bullpen that manager Walt Weiss described as significantly shorthanded entering the series finale.

Weiss observed that Sale attacked from the first pitch with a distinct intensity in his eyes. The Dodgers managed only five singles against the left-hander, who utilized his fastest pitches since his 2018 season with the Red Sox to neutralize Ohtani. Sale described Ohtani as the best player he has ever seen, noting that facing the best required his highest level of performance. The Braves' defense committed zero errors behind Sale, who finished the eighth inning at 97 pitches before returning to the mound to complete the shutout.