Sale Ejected Before Braves' Win, Still Fuming Over Balk
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- Chris Sale was ejected by umpire Dan Merzel before a pitch was thrown in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Yankees, a day after Merzel called him for a balk that scored a run in Saturday's 5-4 loss.
- Crew chief Dan Bellino told a pool reporter the balk — Sale's third career — came because Sale did not declare he was pitching from the windup ahead of Austin Wells' at-bat, though he had done so against Jose Caballero earlier.
- Manager Walt Weiss picked up the argument Saturday and was himself ejected; Sunday he said Sale 'had some words for the umpire from yesterday' but 'it's behind us' and the team would 'move on.'
- Michael Harris II delivered the game-winning hit, a 10th-inning single that gave Atlanta the victory while Sale had already been removed from the dugout.
- The ejection was Sale's fourth career and his first since Aug. 3, 2019, when he pitched for Boston and was tossed by Mike Estabrook at Yankee Stadium.
- Sale allowed three runs and five hits in six innings Saturday for his first loss since June 28; in his third Braves season he sits at 12-7 with a 2.20 ERA over 21 starts.
Why it matters: The balk hinged on a rarely invoked windup-declaration rule that turned a routine inning into a run and a one-game suspension risk for Atlanta's ace. With Sale at 12-7 and a 2.20 ERA, any absence — even a dugout ejection — carries weight for a Braves team chasing the postseason, though his teammates absorbed the loss of his presence by winning Sunday in extras.
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