Atlanta Braves Pencil in Charlie Morton for Send-Off Start

Charlie Morton will get his last appearance as an Atlanta Braves pitcher. The team announced Thursday afternoon that he will start the season finale on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

He started his career with the Braves. He’s getting the chance to get a send-off with that same team. For good measure, he gets to pitch against the team he was a member of in Pittsburgh for seven seasons.

It makes for a cohesive full-circle moment for the 41-year-old starting pitcher.

Morton signed with the team on Monday and reported to Atlanta the following day. The move came a day after he had been designated for assignment by the Detroit Tigers. Coincidentally, his last start for Detroit was against the Braves.

It’s been a roller coaster year for him. At times, he was good enough to be a trade deadline acquisition. Other times, a team simply decided they were better off just removing him from the 40-man roster.

He just needs to pitch one last time. He’s looked sharp in front of what is once again his home crowd earlier this year. That boost could allow him to do it again.

It’s to be determined how long he’ll get to stay out there. With Sale already planned to come in, it’s unlikely he’ll go out there for more than a couple of innings. At most, he’ll see one time through the lineup.

Needing just two pitchers would be nice for the Braves. Everyone else gets the rest of the season off if that’s the case. Though if they’re leading, they’ll certainly give Raisel Iglesias one last shot to close out a game this year.

Morton’s most recent stint with the Braves lasted from 2021 to 2024. He pitched to a 3.87 ERA and gave the Braves at least 30 starts every season. He was part of a World Series winner, three division titles and back-to-back 100-win seasons.

Chris Sale was originally set to start. He will still pitch and will come in after Morton’s day is done. Sale hasn’t pitched in relief in a regular-season game since 2012. The last time he appeared in a relief appearance in any form was during the 2018 World Series, when he closed out the final inning of work.

This game will feature a lot of first times in some time. It’s a game with no playoff implications. They might as well squeeze in what they can.

Morton will take the mound on Sunday with a slightly later first pitch than usual at 3:15 p.m.

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