Once again, Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale dominated on the mound on Wednesday night. After a two hour rain delay, the 36 year-old came out and shoved against the Nationals eight scoreless innings in the Braves' 5-0 extra inning win in Washington. At this point, Atlanta fans have come to expect that when Sale is on the mound, he is going to give the Braves a great chance to win every single time. However, those lofty expectations didn't always exist.
When the Braves first traded for Sale before the 2024 season, there was a healthy amount of skepticism.