Chris Sale cut to the chase when questioned about his electrifying performance against the Dodgers on Thursday, where he clocked speeds surpassing 100 mph.
In a post-game chat with the Braves’ broadcast team following their narrow 1-0 victory, Sale delivered a tongue-in-cheek response to queries about his fastball: “With my arm.” The quip added levity to an exhilarating evening for the seasoned pitcher, who, at 37, unleashed a triple-digit fastball for the first time since 2018, while racking up 11 strikeouts.
This commanding shutout marked Sale’s first since June 5, 2019, against Kansas City.
Even more remarkable is Sale’s induction into an exclusive group. According to MLB statistician Sarah Langs, he is now the sixth player in history, aged 37 years and 150 days, to record a shutout with 10 or more strikeouts and zero walks.
Tracing back to 1900, Sale stands alongside legends such as Cy Young, Eddie Plank, Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan, and Randy Johnson, all of whom accomplished this feat at a similarly mature age in their careers.
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Equally as impressive was the fact that Sale found the heater in a battle against Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani in the third inning of the win.
Sale managed to get Ohtani, a four-time MVP, to swing at a pair of pitches before he threw the 100.1 mph fastball, which the two-way star fouled off.
Two pitches later, the slugger went down swinging at a slider.
Sale struck out Ohtani again in the fifth inning when the lefty got him to chase a 99.6 mph fastball way above the zone.
Sale has 24 starts under his belt this season and boasts a 2.06 ERA across 144 innings. He’s also struck out 177 batters.