Chris Sale’s frustration with Saturday’s balk call didn’t fade with the final out of the Braves’ 5-4 loss to the Yankees. It carried right into the series finale, where the veteran left-hander made his feelings known to the umpiring crew and got tossed from the bench before the game even got going.
The flashpoint was the run-scoring balk that helped decide the close loss. Crew chief Dan Bellino said Sale never declared whether he was going to pitch out of the windup, and once a leg twitch was spotted, the home plate umpire ruled a balk. Sale and manager Walt Weiss both pushed back, saying Sale had never been required to make that declaration in 16 years in the league and arguing the crew applied the rule too strictly for hybrid pitchers.
Weiss was ejected over it, and Sale apparently wasn’t ready to let the issue die there. Before Sunday’s game, he made his case directly to Bellino and was quickly ejected. The BravesVision broadcast showed Sale arguing his point, and the ejection followed soon after.
Bench ejections are rare enough these days that they stand out, especially with some of the more notorious names from past umpire feuds - Joe West and Angel Hernandez - no longer around. In this case, though, Sale had clearly not accepted the explanation he’d been given, and his comments made the pregame toss a formality. He wasn’t going to pitch Sunday anyway.
The broader complaint here is familiar: the rule exists, but it’s not one that gets enforced often, and games would bog down fast if every detail of the letter of the law were policed that tightly. Bellino was never going to undercut his own crew on the spot, and he backed the call.
There’s also some history with Bellino. A few years ago, he was disciplined and apologized after an interaction with Madison Bumgarner that led to an ejection, so this isn’t an umpire who has always avoided confrontation.
For Sale, though, the issue was simple: he didn’t like the call on Saturday, and he made sure that feeling was heard again on Sunday.
In Other News...
Braves Rotation Depth Takes Another Hit With Hurston Waldrep
Hurston Waldreps season took another troubling turn in Triple-A, where he exited a start with right arm discomfort and now is being further evaluated. For a Braves organization trying to preserve pitching depth wherever it can find it, the latest update is especially jarring because Waldrep had already dealt with right elbow issues earlier this year after arthroscopic surgery in February.
The situation at Gwinnett has only added to the concern, with reports that Waldrep packed up his locker there and may not be coming back this season. No official confirmation has been provided, but for Atlanta the bigger picture is hard to miss: one more arm has joined a rotation pipeline that has already been asked to absorb a lot. [Read more 🡒]
Chris Sale Just Gave Braves Fans Another Yankees Flashpoint
Chris Sales latest run-in with an umpire added another layer of edge to a Braves-Yankees series that was already carrying some heat. Before the matchup, third-base umpire Dan Merzel ejected the left-hander, a day after Merzels balk call in the previous game set off a dispute that brought Braves manager Walt Weiss into the argument and ended with Weiss being tossed, too.
For Atlanta, it was the kind of sequence that can linger beyond one night, especially when the opponent is the Yankees and the emotions are already high. Sales ejection was the fourth of his career, while Weiss, in his first ejection as Braves manager, was left to absorb the fallout from a call that clearly did not sit well with the club. [Read more 🡒]