Heim should be given credit for the pitching staff so far.
The Atlanta Braves rode another strong Chris Sale outing to a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park.
It was a matchup between two of baseball's best lefties, and the Braves came out on top in every way that mattered.
After the game, catcher Jonah Heim summed up what it felt like to watch Sale go toe to toe with Bryce Harper.
"That's why we play the game, for those kinds of moments," Heim said. "You've got big on big, strength on strength. That's their guy and that's our guy on the mound. So when they're going head to head and we win that battle, it's a lot of fun."
Sale Keeps Rolling
Sale was sharp again, tossing seven innings of one-run ball while striking out seven and walking just one.
He gave up five hits and threw 101 pitches, getting through the heart of Philadelphia's order with ease in the middle innings.
He struck out Harper twice on the night, and the only damage came on a solo home run from rookie Felix Reyes in his first big league at-bat.
Sale improved to 4-1 on the season with a 2.79 ERA through five starts, and he passed Braves legend Tom Glavine on the all-time strikeout list in the process with 2,608 career punchouts.
The Braves have now won eight of their last 10 games and sit at 14-7 overall, good for first place in the NL East with a five-game cushion.
The Phillies, meanwhile, have gone in the opposite direction and dropped to 8-12 after losing eight of their last 10.
Heim's Quiet Impact
While Heim's bat hasn't been loud this season, his value behind the plate has been impossible to miss.
The veteran catcher, who signed a one-year deal with Atlanta during the offseason after being non-tendered by the Rangers, has quickly earned a reputation as a pitch caller who gets the best out of his pitchers.
His framing and game management have helped a Braves staff that was supposed to be shorthanded because of injuries to Spencer Strider and Spencer Schwellenbach.
Heim won a World Series ring with Texas in 2023 and earned an All-Star nod that same year, so the big-game awareness he brings is not new.
Walt Weiss talked about that winning pedigree when the team brought him in, and Saturday showed exactly why.
What's Next
The Braves will look to complete the three-game sweep on Sunday in Philadelphia, with Grant Holmes taking the mound against Andrew Painter.
Austin Riley and the offense have started to heat up during this stretch, and if Sale keeps pitching the way he has, Atlanta has a legitimate shot at running away with the division early.