Chris Sale shuts out Dodgers to finish sweep, throws his fastest pitch in 8 years against Shohei Ohtani

The Atlanta Braves ace threw a shutout against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, finishing off a three-game sweep with a 1-0 win. The game was billed as a pitchers' duel against Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto and he most certainly delivered.

Sale's final line: 9 innings, 5 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks and 11 strikeouts (tying a season high) on 109 pitches. He finished things off with a punchout of Alex Call.

The 37-year-old Sale turned back the clock in multiple ways. It was his first shutout since 2019, a span of time that includes 117 starts, three All-Star selections and the 2024 NL Cy Young Award. Only five older pitchers have thrown a shutout with double-digit strikeouts and no walks in MLB's modern era : Cy Young, Eddie Plank, Steve Carlton, Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson.

He also found some rare heat against the Dodgers' most dangerous hitter. Facing Shohei Ohtani in the third inning, Sale threw a 100.1 mph fastball, his fastest pitch since July 6, 2018 according to MLB.com's Sarah Langs .

Sale later struck out Ohtani on a 99.6 mph pitch, his second-hardest offering of the night. He didn't hide the extra effort while speaking with reporters after the game, per 680 The Fan's Will Hopkins :

"He's probably the best I've ever seen. And when you're facing the best, you got to bring your best."

On the Dodgers' side, Yamamoto had a perfectly fine outing with 6 1/3 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 1 walk and 8 strikeouts. His only run, the lone run of the game, came on his first pitch when Braves catcher Drake Baldwin got a hold of a hanging splitter for a 402-foot homer.

Yamamoto and the Dodgers' bullpen allowed only three more hits the entire game, all singles, but their offense couldn't muster the needed run against Sale.

It was a meaningful performance for Sale, who revealed he was playing with a heavy heart and perhaps some help, via Hopkins :

"We lost a close family friend tonight. Her name was Ashley Foss. She was 42 years old. Just tough. She was battling for the longest time. I was texting with her family today. It's tough. She was a huge Braves fan. She watched all these games. It felt weird out there because it felt like I had a little something else helping me tonight. There's no question that was her out there."

The Braves' win is significant as far as MLB playoff seeding goes. Atlanta is now only one game back from the Dodgers for the No. 2 seed in the NL, with the Milwaukee Brewers sitting just ahead at an MLB-best 82-51.

More concerning for the Dodgers is that they are now 1-12 since July 31 against teams currently holding a playoff spot. With the postseason just over a month away, that's not exactly the best sign for the two-time defending champions.