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Often, when players are upset with themselves, they take out their frustration on others. Not Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale.
In the fourth inning of the Braves’ 6-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night at Angel Stadium, Sale threw a baseball at his head in anger.
Sale, 37, threw a slider out of the strike zone to Angels first baseman Jeimer Candelario to walk the bases with the game still tied 1-1. Braves pitcher Drake Baldwin threw the ball back to Sale, who caught it with his bare hand instead of his glove, dropped the ball, picked it up and hit him in the head.
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Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale reacts after being hit by Los Angeles Angels third baseman Yoan Moncada with a pitch in the fourth inning at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, April 6, 2026. (Photos by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Imagn)
Sale’s frustration only grew as the inning wore on. Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe worked a one-out walk batter following Candelario, forcing a run to give the Angels a 2-1 lead.
The Angels rally continued two batters later when Sale hit designated hitter Yoan Moncada with a pitch to force in another run, making it 3-1. After drilling Moncada, Sale bent over, placing his hands on his knees, before going behind the pitcher’s mound to pick up a bag of rosin, but dropped it.
The All-Star pitcher’s fourth-inning nightmare continued when he hooked a soft ball from center fielder Bryce Teodosio, but it was sandwiched between Mauricio Dubon and third baseman Austin Riley.
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Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale pitches in the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim, California, April 6, 2026. (Photo by Caroline Brehman/AP)
Dubon made a good diving catch to keep the ball in the infield, but another run scored, giving the Angels a 4-1 lead.
Sale escaped the fourth inning without further injury but allowed a two-run home run in the fifth inning to Jo Adell, giving the Angels a 6-1 lead.
The two-time Cy Young winner was ejected from the game afterward. Sale pitched four innings, allowing six runs on five hits, two walks, and seven strikeouts.
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Atlanta Braves starter Chris Sale reacts after being hit by Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Yoan Moncada with a pitch during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, California, April 6, 2026. (Photo by Caroline Brehman/AP)
Sale entered this game with a good record against the Angels. In 11 games he had an 8-0 record with a 1.24 ERA, but he had no such success on Monday.
In three starts this season, Sale is 2-1 with a 3.94 ERA in 16 innings pitched.
The Braves (6-5) will look to wake up when they play the Angels (6-5) in the second game of a three-game series on Tuesday at 9:38 pm ET.
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