Chris Sale Ejected Before Pitch in Game Against Yankees

New York witnessed an unusual event on Sunday when Chris Sale, the ace of the Atlanta Braves, was ejected by umpire Dan Merzel before the game against the New York Yankees even began. This incident came a day after Sale was called for a balk that allowed a run to score.

As the umpires took the field and passed the Braves’ dugout, located on the third base side, Sale began voicing his displeasure. Umpire Merzel responded by ejecting him. Sale then engaged in a brief conversation with crew chief Dan Bellino near the dugout rail.

The controversy began during the fifth inning of Saturday’s 5-4 loss when Merzel called Sale for a balk, his third career balk. Rookie Spencer Jones scored due to this decision after achieving an RBI triple. Sale responded with intense protests towards Merzel, leading to Braves manager Walt Weiss picking up the argument, and getting ejected.

Bellino explained to a pool reporter that Sale’s balk call was due to his failure to declare pitching from the windup. While Sale declared the windup when striking out José Caballero, he failed to do so before Austin Wells’ at-bat.

This ejection marked Sale’s fourth in his career. His last ejection was on August 3, 2019, when he pitched for Boston and was removed for arguing balls and strikes with umpire Mike Estabrook during a game against the Yankees. In the Saturday game, Sale allowed three runs and five hits over six innings, leading to his first loss since June 28.

In his third season with the Braves, Sale holds a 12-7 record with a 2.20 ERA over 21 starts.