NEW YORK, United States — Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale was ejected before throwing a single pitch against the New York Yankees on Sunday, a day after a disputed balk call during the previous game sparked a heated confrontation with home plate umpire Dan Merzel.
- Chris Sale was ejected before Sunday’s Braves-Yankees game began.
- The ejection came one day after Sale was called for a balk that allowed a Yankees run to score.
- Braves manager Walt Weiss was also ejected while arguing Saturday’s balk decision.
- Atlanta eventually won Sunday’s game 2-1 in 10 innings.
Chris Sale ejected before Braves-Yankees game
As the umpires walked onto the field before Sunday’s game at Yankee Stadium, Sale began arguing with Merzel near the Braves dugout. The pitcher was subsequently ejected before a pitch had been delivered.
Sale then spoke with crew chief Dan Bellino near the dugout rail after Merzel made the ejection. It marked the fourth ejection of Sale’s career.
Atlanta center fielder Michael Harris II said he initially did not understand what had happened but connected the incident with Sale’s confrontation with the umpires the previous day.
Disputed balk call triggered confrontation
The incident followed a contentious moment during Saturday’s 5-4 Yankees victory. Sale was called for a balk in the fifth inning, allowing rookie Spencer Jones to score after Jones had reached third base with an RBI triple.
Sale strongly protested the call, and manager Walt Weiss continued the argument before being ejected from the game.
Weiss later acknowledged that Sale appeared to have words for Merzel regarding the previous day’s decision but said the team had moved on from the incident.
Why was Chris Sale called for a balk?
According to Bellino’s explanation after Saturday’s game, the balk resulted from Sale failing to declare that he intended to pitch from the windup before facing Austin Wells.
Bellino said Sale had declared his intention to pitch from the windup before striking out José Caballero, but did not make the same declaration before the subsequent at-bat against Wells.
The explanation provided the official reasoning behind the call that had generated the argument between Sale and the Braves.
Sale’s fourth career ejection
The Sunday incident was Sale’s fourth career ejection and his first since August 3, 2019, when he was pitching for the Boston Red Sox.
That earlier ejection also came at Yankee Stadium. Sale was thrown out by umpire Mike Estabrook during the fourth inning of Boston’s 9-2 loss after arguing balls and strikes.
Braves avoid Yankees sweep
Despite Sale’s absence from the game after the early ejection, Atlanta secured a 2-1 victory over New York in 10 innings. Michael Harris II delivered the decisive RBI single in the 10th inning.
The result allowed the Braves to avoid being swept in the three-game series. The unusual pregame ejection nevertheless became one of the most notable moments of the weekend series after tensions between Sale and the umpiring crew carried over from Saturday’s game.
