Chris Sale had a very Chris Sale-like reaction to being called for a balk during Saturday’s game.
The Atlanta Braves star lefty Sale was on the mound Saturday against the New York Yankees. In the fifth inning at Yankee Stadium in New York, N.Y., Sale was pitching with a runner on third and one man out in a 2-2 ballgame.
In the middle of an at-bat by Yankees No. 9 hitter Austin Wells, Sale was getting set on the mound when home plate umpire Dan Merzel called him for a balk. Merzel believed that Sale had started and then stopped his pitching motion, thereby allowing Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones to come in and score the go-ahead run.
Sale was incensed and immediately came over to confront Merzel. The former Cy Young winner Sale appeared to be arguing that his flinching motion with his leg was a normal part of his long-established delivery to the plate.
Braves manager Walt Weiss also came out to argue the balk call and ended up getting ejected. Sale then continued his protests to first-base umpire Dan Bellino, who had come over to defuse the situation. Here is the video of the full sequence.
chris sale is not very happy pic.twitter.com/ad1WHOAkkf
— Luz (@luzthegoosey) August 8, 2026
The 10-time All-Star Sale, 37, is in his 16th career MLB season and clearly feels that the leg flinch has always been a part of his delivery. Merzel obviously did not feel the same way though, resulting in Sale’s latest wild crash-out of the 2026 season.
