Walt Weiss Confirms Chris Sale Decision for Atlanta Braves Wild Card Series

Atlanta Braves manager Walt Weiss officially confirmed that left-hander Chris Sale will start Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Sale will take the ball on Tuesday at Truist Park. 

The best-of-three round will be played entirely in Atlanta with the third-seeded Braves hosting their division rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies. The winner will move on to face the Dodgers in the NLDS. 

Giving Sale the ball was not a complicated decision for Weiss. He is clearly the best arm on Atlanta’s staff. He has been since his arrival a few seasons ago in a lopsided trade with the Boston Red Sox.

There was no competition for anyone else to get the ball. Sale will get five full days of rest before facing Philadelphia’s All-Star lineup. The Phillies will turn to left-hander Jesus Luzardo for the opening game.

Tyler Mahle is expected to follow in Game 2, with Grant Holmes expected to get the ball in a potential win-or-go-home.  Both Holmes and Mahle have never pitched in a postseason game, increasing the pressure for Sale to deliver. 

There are plenty of reasons to be confident though. Sale put together one of the best seasons ever by a Braves pitcher. He earned his third straight All-Star selection this year and will likely finish runner-up in NL Cy Young Award voting. 

Sale went 14-9 during the regular season with a 2.16 ERA, third-best in the majors, and added a 0.984 WHIP with 200 strikeouts over 162 2/3 innings. The mark was his lowest ERA since 2018. He has also dominated against the Phillies, too, posting a 2.08 ERA across four starts. It’s a great matchup for him.

Tuesday will be Sale’s first postseason start in a Braves uniform, and his first playoff appearance since 2021. Sale won the NL Cy Young Award and the pitching triple crown in 2024, his first year in Atlanta. However, he did not pitch in the postseason due to severe back spasms. This time, the 37-year-old veteran is at full strength.

Philadelphia ended Atlanta's season in the NLDS in both 2022 and 2023. In both years, Atlanta also won more games than them, so the Phillies are used to being an underdog. Sale gives the Braves the best chance to finally flip that script. Atlanta cannot afford anything less than a Sale victory on Tuesday with Mahle and Holmes pitching after him.