ST. LOUIS -- Chris Sale never got the chance to find out just how good Friday night's start could have become.
Through three innings, the Braves' left-hander looked well on his way to another strong outing, overpowering the Cardinals with an upper-90s fastball and a biting slider before a two-hour, 44-minute rain delay brought his night to an abrupt end. The Braves went on to lose, 2-1.
The weather may have prevented Sale from pitching deep into the game, but it couldn't stop him from making history.
Sale allowed two hits, walked one and struck out five over three scoreless innings before Atlanta (obviously) elected not to send him back to the mound after the lengthy delay. The abbreviated outing lowered his season ERA to 2.20, making him just the third pitcher age 37 or older this decade to produce a sub-2.30 ERA through his first 17 starts of a season, joining Justin Verlander (1.89 in 2022) and Max Scherzer (2.15 in 2022).
He also passed Hall of Famer John Smoltz for the lowest ERA through a Braves pitcher's first 17 starts of a season at age 37 or older since earned runs became an official National League statistic in 1912.
The accomplishment, however, wasn't at the forefront of Sale's mind after the game.
Instead, he couldn't help but think about the opportunity that slipped away.
"It is frustrating," Sale said. "... I'm a starting pitcher. I don't get to play a whole lot. I like to be able to get a full slate when we can."
Sale stopped short of dwelling on the decision.
"You roll with the punches," he said. "It is what it is. There's nothing you can do about it."
Before the skies opened, Sale had looked every bit like the ace Atlanta has leaned on throughout the first half.
After surrendering a one-out single to Iván Herrera in the opening inning, Sale immediately erased the baserunner with an inning-ending double play.
His second inning was vintage Sale.
Nelson Velázquez struck out on a 96.9 mph fastball. Alec Burleson couldn't catch up to a 98 mph heater. Masyn Winn then swung through an 81.8 mph slider as Sale struck out the side.
The third inning briefly tested him.
After striking out José Fermín to open the frame, Sale allowed a double before issuing a two-out walk to JJ Wetherholt, prompting an audible expletive after missing with ball four. He immediately regrouped, retiring Herrera on a flyout to strand both runners and preserve a scoreless game.
Three innings. Five strikeouts. Forty-three pitches.
Then the tarp came out.
Sale remained active throughout the delay, throwing underneath the stadium while staying in communication with manager Walt Weiss and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner. Eventually, though, the delay stretched beyond the point where a return was realistic.
"We had good communication," Sale said. "We had kind of come up with a timeline. Once we got to a certain point, then it was going to be done. I stayed loose. I kept throwing underneath, but once we got to that benchmark, it was over with."
The decision wasn't a difficult one from a health perspective.
Its impact on the rest of Atlanta's pitching staff was another story.
Without a traditional long reliever available, Weiss was forced to navigate the remainder of the game with a bullpen built almost entirely around one-inning arms.
"Our bullpen's not set up for that," Weiss said. "We didn't have any length guy in there, so once we lost Sale after three innings, we've got a bunch of one-inning guys trying to finish the game with. If that game goes extra innings, we're probably going to have to get a little creative."
For Weiss, the weather overshadowed what otherwise looked like another typical Sale performance.
"Chris looked great," Weiss said. "That's what it's looked like for the most part all year. He's kind of a freak of nature, really. He's 37 years old, and his velocity might be the best it's ever been, which is crazy. He's hit many 99s this year.
"I always say the Hall of Famers are just different. That's what he is."
Sale's four-seam fastball averaged 96 mph entering Friday and once again showed the life that has fueled one of baseball's best seasons.
The history is now in the books.
The frustration, however, lingered.
Instead of seeing how far another promising start could take him, Sale was left with three dominant innings, another historic statistical milestone and the feeling that Friday's outing had much more to offer before the weather got in the way.