MLB’s decision to put Dan Merzel behind the plate for Chris Sale’s Game 1 playoff start against the Phillies is a head-scratcher, especially given what already went down between the two earlier this season.
Sale and Merzel crossed paths in a controversy over a balk call, when Merzel said Sale - a hybrid pitcher - needed to declare whether he was working from the stretch or the windup before each batter. By the letter of the rule, that may check out. In practice, it almost never gets enforced, and it was the first time Sale had been penalized for it in his 16-year career.
The reaction was exactly what you’d expect. Sale lost it.
Walt Weiss was tossed after the call. Then Sale was still so fired up that he got ejected the next day for jawing about the situation from the dugout.
Now Merzel is back in the most sensitive spot possible: home plate for the opener of a Wild Card series Sale is set to start.
Umpiring crew for Braves-Phillies WC Series. This will be the first time Merzel has been behind the plate for a Sale start since their “balk” incident at Yankee Stadium pic.twitter.com/xBTWSXSLT9
- Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) September 28, 2026
It’s a bizarre assignment on its face. If this were just a random veteran umpire with a long list of gripes from both sides, maybe you shrug and move on.
But this is an umpire who already had a run-in with Sale’s delivery this season, and now he’s calling balls and strikes in the biggest start of the Braves’ year. That’s enough to make the conspiracy crowd light up.
The broader backdrop makes the timing even stranger. Atlanta comes into the series in good shape overall: the rotation and bullpen got a week of rest, the regulars in the lineup got some downtime too, and the Braves get to play at home, where they’ve been excellent. The Phillies, meanwhile, had to grind just to get into the postseason.
Still, this one detail could tilt the pressure on Sale in an uncomfortable direction.
At the time of the balk call, Weiss said the team planned to contact the league for clarification, since neither the Braves nor Sale had been told there was an issue before the call itself. Hopefully Atlanta got the explanation it wanted, and hopefully someone in the league office made sure Merzel understood the situation.
That’s the best-case read. And even that feels shaky.
Merzel has also had another notable flare-up this season, ejecting Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long after a bad out-of-the-baseline call on the play where Luis Arraez hurt his ankle. So while neither club is likely thrilled to see him working the plate, the Braves and Sale have the more obvious reason to be uneasy heading into Game 1.
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The Braves at least know one thing about the Phillies heading into the Wild Card Series: Philadelphia will be without one of its more dependable bats. Luis Arraez is off the roster because of an ankle injury, a notable hit for a lineup that has needed every steady presence it could find, especially after his addition at the trade deadline gave the club a needed boost.
Don Mattingly also confirmed Jesus Luzardo will get the Game 1 start, though with a pitch count that is expected to be limited. Otto Kemp now steps in for Arraez, and for Atlanta the bigger takeaway is that a Phillies offense already searching for consistency has lost one of the few hitters it could count on, even before the first pitch of the series is thrown. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Still Face Two Crucial Roster Calls Before Phillies Series
The Braves are in the familiar spot of sorting through a postseason roster just before a high-stakes series with the Phillies, and the outline is taking shape even if a few decisions are still being treated as educated guesses. Behind the obvious core pieces like Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy behind the plate, Matt Olson and Ozzie Albies in the infield, and Michael Harris II and Ronald Acua Jr. out in the grass, the staff is working through the kind of short-list construction that always matters in October.
What makes this one worth watching is how much depends on the final balance between position players and pitchers once the roster is set. The projection already points to a group built around current health, injuries and suspensions, but the Braves still have to settle a couple of important calls before the series begins, and those choices could shape how they match up with Philadelphia from the first inning on. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Wild Card Decision Just Changed A Potential Braves Threat
The Phillies late-season push got a small but meaningful twist at the roster deadline, and it matters for the Braves because Philadelphias new infield piece will not be available for the NL Wild Card round. Luis Arraez, acquired at the 2026 trade deadline, had given the Phillies another bat to work with down the stretch, but an ankle injury suffered late in the season knocked him out of the opening series against Atlanta.
Otto Kemp has taken Arraezs spot on the roster, while Philadelphia is carrying three catchers as injuries have thinned out some of its other options. Arraezs postseason status is still unsettled beyond the first round, with a possible return if the Phillies get through to the NLDS, so the Braves know the matchup has already shifted once and could shift again if this series extends. [Read more 🡒]