Atlanta Braves' Chris Sale Dominates Against Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers

Chris Sale added a heavyweight performance to his Cy Young resume when he took down Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Atlanta Braves' Chris Sale arguably pitched his most impressive game of the season when he faced the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday night. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images / Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Chris Sale dominated on the mound once again in the Atlanta Braves' 10-1 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Braves improve to 81-67 and 20-7 in games Sale has started. 

Just to put that into perspective, a guy who is one-fifth of the starting rotation has helped the Braves to one-fourth of their wins. 

Sale pitched six strong innings allowing just one run on five hits and two walks while striking out six. Taking down this Dodgers lineup is arguably his most impressive outing of the season.

“It’s special when he goes out there,” Braves catcher Sean Murphy said. “That lineup’s no joke and he worked his way through. That’s what he has done every outing and it just gets better every time.”

He even held superstar Shohei Ohtani hitless. Sale knew anything that Ohtani connected with would be hit hard. The only solution was to make sure he had nothing to hit. 

“With him, you’re not looking for soft contact because there’s not really much that he produces,” Sale said about facing Ohtani after the game. “...really just trying to throw swing-and-miss pitches from the first pitch of the game.”

His 17 wins, 2.35 ERA and 219 strikeouts all lead the National League. 

In his last seven starts, Sale has pitched to an absurd 1.20 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP and 54 strikeouts in 45 innings pitched. The Braves have won all seven of those games with Sale picking up the decision in four of them. 

He has allowed just two earned runs or fewer in each of his last 17 starts. It’s tied with Felix Hernandez (2014) and Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson (1919) for the longest streak since 1913. 

Chris Sale has allowed two earned runs-or-fewer in each of his last 17 starts, dating to June 7 at Washington.

Since earned runs became official in both leagues in 1913, it’s tied for the longest single-season streak of its kind, along with Hall-of-Famer Walter Johnson (1919)… pic.twitter.com/3rocdalsKN

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 15, 2024

Another big night gets the Braves another big win against one of the toughest lineups in the game. More importantly, with a Mets loss, the big night gets the Braves back into a playoff spot. 

They return to action on Sunday night looking to win the series. First pitch of the Sunday Night Baseball matchup is set for 7:10 p.m.