Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale made his second start of the season on Tuesday night, and he took an interesting approach that we do not see that often across Major League Baseball anymore.
Sale chose not to use the PitchCom device for his start against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. SportsNet LA analyst Orel Hershiser noticed in the bottom of the fourth inning that Sale and Braves catcher Drake Baldwin were communicating pitches the old-school way.
“I’ve been a little bit asleep at the wheel — Chris Sale is using the old-school fingers,” Hershiser said. “They’re not using PitchCom. … He’s just going old school.”
Chris Sale is going the old school route by not using PitchCom. pic.twitter.com/xJcj9Edl4d
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) April 2, 2025
Use of PitchCom was approved by MLB in 2022 to help combat sign stealing. It allows a pitcher and catcher (and some fielders) to communicate electronically without having to use hand signals. There has been plenty of drama surrounding the use of the technology.
Sale just turned 36 and is in his 16th MLB season. It would not be all that shocking if he simply preferred doing things the old-fashioned way.
For what it’s worth, Sale had another decent outing. He allowed 3 earned on 4 hits and struck out 5 across 5 innings. It will be interesting to see if he uses PitchCom going forward.
