Chris Sale Reflects on Braves Shutout, Emotional Night

Through eight innings, Chris Sale was at 96 pitches and had held the Los Angeles Dodgers scoreless throughout. Atlanta Braves manager Walt Weiss had a big choice to make: send him back out or turn to closer Raisel Iglesias, who was warming up.

In the end, it was a quick and easy call.

"I just told Walt I got this one, and you know, tonight it worked out," Sale said.

After a chaotic ninth inning with a review, a couple of baserunners, and a need for Sale to throw warm-up pitches in between to stay loose, he managed to notch a complete-game shutout. The Braves won 1-0 to sweep the Dodgers.

One of the highlights of the night was just the energy that came when he went back out for that final inning. There was a different feel to it compared to other moments that get the crowd going.

"I would say the adrenaline was there," he said. "I felt the atmosphere. You know, our fans obviously show up time and time again. Tonight was a fun one. Running out there in the ninth. It was hard not to feel the energy pulsing through the stadium."

It was his first complete game since June 5, 2019, when, as a member of the Boston Red Sox, he blanked the Kansas City Royals on the road. In turn, that was also his most recent shutout until Thursday night. He’s just the ninth major league pitcher this season to throw a shutout

A preview of a playoff atmophere was delivered. A fellow top pitcher in the National League was outdueled. Everything came together to culminate in a special night.

"I was talking about how the Hall of Famers are just different, and that's a perfect example right there," Weiss said to the media after the game.

Behind the grit of the performance was some emotion.

A family friend of Sale's, Ashley Foss, passed away earlier on Thursday at 42 years old. He and the Foss family go back almost 20 years, and they're with his agency.

Sale made sure to emphasize how much Foss, a big Braves fan who watched every game, and her family meant to him. In a touching moment, he said he felt her presence during his start.

"You know, it felt, like, weird out there," he said. "I felt like I had a little something else helping me tonight, and you know, there's no question that it was her out there."

It's one of those gracious, more-than-just-a-game moments that will lead the night to stick with you for much longer. It's a night that will likely go down as one of Sale's most memorable in a Braves uniform.

When asked, he said maybe wait until his career has reached its conclusion to have the conversation.

"I hope I got some coming still," he said with a smile.

It's not anywhere near as big as the All-Star nods or the Cy Young Award, but the game is relevant to his journey. In his early years, he led the American League in complete games twice. He has 17 now in his career. This night helped make his time with the Braves that much more vintage in relation to his body of work.

For now, he chose to be thankful for this moment, in the moment. That sentiment is likely shared by many others along with him.

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