Sale Got Ejected Before the First Pitch. Good.Wikimedia Commons
Braves

Sale Got Ejected Before the First Pitch. Good.

Chris Sale got tossed before the first pitch of a game he wasn't even starting. That's not a hothead — that's ace energy on a seven-year fuse.

Dex PonceAug 10, 2026 · 1 min read

Chris Sale got ejected before the first pitch of a game he wasn't even starting.

Good.

Third career balk in 2,300 innings. Three. Sale carried that call for sixteen hours, watched Dan Merzel walk onto the field Sunday, and chose violence. The Braves lost 5-4 Saturday because Spencer Jones scored from third on a call so rare it basically doesn't exist in Sale's career.

Walt Weiss got tossed Saturday defending him. Sale came back Sunday and finished the job himself.

Yesterday I wrote that Sale can't pitch Game 2 in October. I stand by every word. But this? This is the guy you want in Game 1. A pitcher who treats a regular-season balk like a personal offense doesn't shrink when it matters. He detonates.

First ejection in seven years. Since Boston, 2019. That's not a hothead. That's a cold fury on a seven-year fuse.

The Braves won 2-1 without him in the lineup. They survived the Bronx. But the most Tilt moment of this entire series was a starter who wasn't starting getting thrown out before a pitch was thrown.

Bookmark this energy for October. Tell me I'm wrong.

The Tilt

Sale's pregame ejection for carrying a day-old balk grudge is the most encouraging sign for the Braves' October rotation in months.

Dex Ponce

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Dex Ponce

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