Chris Sale delivered a dominant performance Wednesday night, coming just one out short of his first complete game shutout in six years.
Sale kept the Mets offense in check while the Braves provided plenty of support in a 5-0 win. The reigning Cy Young winner even pulled off an incredible diving play and throw in the ninth inning for the first out. Ronald Acuña Jr. wasted no time making an impact, taking the first pitch he saw from Paul Blackburn deep to center field for a leadoff homer and a 1-0 Braves lead.
Atlanta continued to apply pressure in the opening frame. After Acuña’s homer, Verdugo singled, Riley walked, and Olson moved them over with a groundout. Then came a strange moment when catcher Luis Torrens tried to retrieve a passed ball using his mask—an illegal move that allowed the runners to advance and score. Marcell Ozuna added a sacrifice fly, making it 3-0.
In the fourth, Ozzie Albies—who had already tripled earlier—doubled and later came home on a wild pitch from Torrens, capping a rough night for the Mets’ catcher.
Things quieted down offensively until the seventh, when Matt Olson launched a home run to the Chop House, extending the lead to 5-0.
Given three extra days of rest, Sale was in top form. He worked 8.2 shutout innings, giving up only five singles and one walk while striking out six. He threw 116 pitches—85 for strikes—and lowered his ERA to 2.52. It was his longest outing since 2019, and he looked every bit the ace.
The series concludes Thursday night with Spencer Strider taking the mound after a stellar outing against the Rockies. He’ll face Clay Holmes, a reliever turned starter with a solid 2.87 ERA, aiming to continue his strong season. First pitch is set for 7:15 p.m. ET.
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