LOS ANGELES – On Oct. 28, 2018, Chris Sale took the mound for the bottom of the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium. Across the country, the baseball world watched as the World Series neared its end.
“And even just running in from the bullpen,” Sale recalled, “I was like, ‘Man, I gotta get three outs, I got a four-run lead. Let’s see it.’”
Three strikeouts later, the Boston Red Sox were World Series champions. They celebrated on the Dodgers’ field after Sale struck out the side to bring another trophy to Boston.
“It’s very, like, surreal,” he told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution of winning the World Series. “I’ve played that moment out in my mind as a kid my entire life – from before I can remember, right? As a hitter, too. ‘Bases loaded, two outs, bottom of the ninth, World Series on the line’ and you hit the tennis ball over the fence, or you make the last pitch, or whatever. Everything just kind of stopped for a moment.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
On Friday, Sale returned to Dodger Stadium – this time as a member of the Braves. This is his first time back here since getting the final outs of the World Series.
He walked down the hallway near the visiting clubhouse. He went out to the bullpen, where he warmed before closing out the Dodgers about five and a half years ago.
The World Series clincher came to mind.
“It’s just impossible not to think about it, right?” Sale said. “Yeah. Good memories, for sure.”
Sale won’t face the Dodgers this weekend. But thus far, he’s had a terrific start with Atlanta: Over his first six starts, Sale has a 3.44 ERA. He has 42 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings.
Sean Murphy begins swinging
Sean Murphy swung off a tee in Seattle earlier this week. He felt good.
He’ll continue his progression from there.
Murphy suffered an oblique strain on opening day. He’s been sidelined for over a month because oblique injuries can be tricky, and teams must exercise caution with them.
But Murphy has ramped up baseball activity.
First, he played catch on flat ground. Then he started catching bullpen sessions. He’s back to throwing hard.
And now, he’s started a hitting progression.
Braves and Dodgers meet again
Since 2019, the Braves and Dodgers have been powers in the National League. And in most of those seasons, Braves-Dodgers has been among the most anticipated matchups in baseball.
“It’s great. It’s awesome,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “Because it’s hard to do. It’s hard to sustain that, especially in today’s game. Two really strong organizations.”
The Braves have won the National League East in six straight seasons. They are the favorites to win it again this year, though the Phillies have started hotter than in recent years.
The Dodgers have won the National League West 10 times in the past 11 seasons. And the one year they lost, in 2021, they ended one game behind the Giants.
Last season, the Braves took three of four at Dodger Stadium in a series that began in late August and went into early September. At that time, it appeared the teams would meet in the postseason.
This time, the clubs see each other in early May. To the outside world, there might not be as much juice to this matchup.
But the Braves are still at Dodger Stadium, which means something.
“It’s always big when you come here,” Snitker said. “It’s tough games and it’s a great atmosphere. It’s always big here. Any time you come here, your juices get flowing.”
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