Chris Sale felt the adrenaline rushing through his body as he walked off the Truist Park mound Wednesday night. The crowd, assuming Sale was done after eight strong innings against the Mets, gave him a solid ovation. But it paled in comparison to the eruption that occurred when the Braves’ starter reemerged from the dugout an inning later.
The veteran left-hander needed three more outs to throw his first complete game since 2019, and he was not about to waste away the opportunity from the bench.
“It’s literally like just cold water running through my body,” Sale said of his hunger to complete the game. “I was walking off the mound, and I knew maybe if I lobbied for it hard enough, (manager Brian Snitker) would give me a shot.”
In most circumstances, Snitker would have pulled a starting pitcher in Sale’s situation. The 36-year-old had already thrown 102 pitches, and the Braves had a well-rested bullpen capable of recording the final three outs.
But Sale is no ordinary pitcher.
Snitker said the reigning Cy Young Award winner “earned the right” to try and finish the game, if that is what he wanted to do — and make no mistake, that is exactly what Sale envisioned.
“Normally when he comes off (the mound), I’ve got a feel, he’s got a feel,” Snitker said. “He walked right by me, didn’t even say anything after the eighth.”
Sale ultimately came one out shy of finishing the complete game, but his performance was still a masterpiece. He shut out the division-leading Mets in a season-high 8.2 innings to propel the Braves to a series-clinching 5-0 victory.
The left-hander struck out seven batters — moving him to No. 37 on baseball’s all-time strikeout list — and only issued one walk on 116 pitches. But the moment that brought a sellout Truist Park crowd to its feet — and sparked multiple postgame text messages from old friends — occurred in the top of the ninth inning.
The Gold Glover laid out for a weak ground ball off the bat of Mets outfielder Juan Soto. He then threw from his knees to first base for the out.
The play was not one that Sale necessarily needed to make in a 5-0 ballgame, but it demonstrated the competitiveness of the Braves’ ace — just like his adamancy towards throwing all nine innings.
“It just kind of adds to the legend of Chris Sale here,” Snitker said. “He’s a pro, and you root for guys like that. I was probably pulling for him more than he was pulling for himself to get that complete game.”
Sale came one pitch shy of throwing the complete game — a two-out single from Brandon Nimmo on a 1-2 count ended his night — but he still gave the Braves a performance to remember.
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