Braves ace Chris Sale ejected by umpire Dan Merzel before start of game against Yankees

Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale was removed from the game by umpire Dan Merzel before any pitch was thrown on Sunday. This happened just a day after Sale had been called for a balk that had scored a run during Saturday's match against the New York Yankees. The incident occurred a day after Sale had been ejected from the team's previous game against Boston on August 3, 2019, for arguing balls and strikes.

Sale's ejection came after he began yelling loudly at Merzel as they approached each other near the dugout rail. The umpire then spoke with Braves' manager Walt Weiss, who was also later ejected from the game. The umpire stated that Sale was called for his third career balk during the fifth inning of Saturday's 5-4 loss. The controversial call occurred because Sale did not declare his intention to pitch from the windup before striking out José Caballero, even though he had initially declared he was pitching from the windup when he had struck out Caballero earlier.

Sale allowed three runs and five hits in six innings, resulting in his first loss since June 28, 2022. In his third season with the Braves, Sale has a 12-7 record with a 2.20 ERA in 21 starts.