ATLANTA -- Walt Weiss won his first game as the Braves’ manager Friday night, and opened his postgame remarks by once again praising Chris Sale.
“It’s just a special guy out there on the mound tonight,” Weiss said. “At this point in his career, his last inning out there, he can still go get 98 mph when he wants it. This is a special guy. I talked about him a lot this spring. But it’s a manager’s dream to have a guy like that on [Opening Day] set the tone.”
Sale scattered three hits over six scoreless innings while helping the Braves claim a 6-0 win over the Royals in front of a sellout Opening Day crowd of 39,697 at Truist Park. The southpaw, who will turn 37 on Monday, concluded his 88-pitch effort (54 strikes) with consecutive fastballs that registered 98.1 mph and 98.3 mph.
This was Sale’s seventh Opening Day start and second straight for the Braves. But this one had a little extra meaning because it marked the first time he’s experienced a season opener in Atlanta.
“It was really special,” Sale said. “Talk about a spike of adrenaline.”
The Braves lost seven straight games to begin last season, and Sale also started slow, with a 6.17 ERA through his first five starts. So, getting off on the right foot was important for him and the team.
Sale benefited from a pair of double plays within the first two innings before escaping a third-inning threat with Eli White robbing Salvador Perez of a run-scoring knock with a diving catch in left field. Ronald Acuña Jr. also robbed Perez with his own diving grab in the sixth with a runner on first.
“There were unbelievable defensive plays,” Sale said. “Half of the Top 10 [plays on highlight shows] were made while I was out there.”