Chris Sale threw the first pitch and the last pitch of the Atlanta Braves’ Wild Card Series win over the Philadelphia Phillies, and the last time he pulled that off, he was closing out a World Series, as first reported by ClutchPoints.
Atlanta beat Philly 6-2 in Thursday night’s Game 3 to take the series. Sale, who started Game 1, came out of the bullpen two nights after throwing 95 pitches. He worked 1 1/3 innings, gave up one hit and struck out three on 21 pitches.
A 2018 Throwback
Per ClutchPoints, Sale is the first pitcher to throw the first and last pitches of a postseason series since he did it himself in the 2018 World Series with the Boston Red Sox. Back then, he struck out Manny Machado to finish off the Dodgers, per MLB.com.
Back in Game 1, Sale struck out nine in 6 1/3 innings, per MLB.com.
The IAHHM Take
Volunteering for relief work on one day of rest at 37 years old is pure old-school energy, the baseball version of a vet asking for the last shot. That’s the kind of thing that wins a clubhouse.
And the timing is poetic. The Braves now face the two-time defending champion Dodgers in the NLDS, the same franchise Sale finished off in 2018. Sale is lined up to start Game 2 on Sunday.
For Philly, it’s another October exit for a roster built to win right now, and Bryce Harper didn’t sugarcoat it: “You’re here to win games, and we didn’t,” he said, via the Associated Press.
Can Atlanta’s rotation hang with L.A.’s lineup, or is the Dodgers’ three-peat run just warming up? Let us know.
More: IAHHM Sports.
Source: ClutchPoints
