Braves’ Chris Sale throws fastest pitch since 2018 vs. Shohei Ohtani

It’s nothing new for professional athletes to exert their best effort out on the field whenever they come up against the best. On Thursday, during the finale of the Atlanta Braves’ four-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, starting pitcher Chris Sale reached back for something extra when he faced superstar slugger Shohei Ohtani.

In the top of the third inning, Sale faced Ohtani for the second time on the night. The Braves lefty induced a first-pitch groundout from Ohtani to lead off the ballgame, so he already had the upper hand over the Dodgers star. He then followed that up by striking Ohtani out in the third, keeping the Dodgers slugger at bay.

For the fourth pitch of the at-bat, Sale threw a 100.1 mph four-seam fastball to Ohtani, which Sarah Langs of MLB.com pointed out as the fastest pitch the 10-time All-Star has thrown since the sixth of July back in 2018, when he hit 100.3 mph on the radar gun for the Boston Red Sox.

This was only one piece of evidence that Sale was in complete control against the Dodgers. He was befuddling hitters left and right, and the Braves star dominated them through and through. Atlanta ended up taking a 1-0 victory as Sale threw a complete game shutout, striking out 11 while allowing just five hits.

This victory completed the Braves’ four-game series sweep of the Dodgers in a clash between two division leaders. The Braves moved to 79-55 on the season, and these wins could not have come at a more opportune time for Atlanta as they haven’t been playing their best baseball as of late.

Sale, on the season, is now sporting an ERA of 2.06 following a dominant outing against the Dodgers. If not for Milwaukee Brewers rising star Jacob Misiorowski, the Braves veteran could be in line for another Cy Young award considering how elite he’s been in 2026.

The post Braves’ Chris Sale throws fastest pitch since 2018 vs. Shohei Ohtani appeared first on ClutchPoints.