MLB news: Braves’ Chris Sale slams ball off his own head out of frustration
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Usually when players are angry at themselves, they take their anger out on something else. Not Atlanta Braves star Chris Sale.
Sale angrily threw a baseball over his head in the fourth inning of the Braves’ 6-2 defeat against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium on Monday night.
Sale, 37, walked the bases with no outs, throwing a slider well outside the strike zone to Angels first baseman Jeimer Candelario with the game tied 1-1. Braves catcher 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 it in the head.
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Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale reacts after hitting Los Angeles Angels third baseman Yoan Moncada in the fourth inning at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California on April 6, 2026. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Imagn Images)
Sale’s frustrations grew as the innings wore on. Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe followed with a strikeout after 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 the score 3-1. After drilling Moncada, Sale bent down, put his hands on his knees and walked behind the pitcher’s mound to grab the bag of resin, only to stab it into the ground.
The nine-time All-Star pitcher’s fourth-inning nightmare continued when center fielder Bryce Teodosio picked up a weak ground ball, but the ball was placed perfectly between shortstop Mauricio Dubon and third baseman Austin Riley.
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Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Chris Sale pitches during the second inning against the Los Angeles Angels on April 6, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Caroline Brehman/AP Photo)
Dubon did a good job of attacking to keep the ball on the court, but scored another run to put the Angels up 4-1.
Sale survived the fourth inning without further damage, but hit a two-run home run to Jo Adell in the fifth inning to give the Angels a 6-1 lead.
The two-time Cy Young winner was subsequently ejected from the game. Sale went four innings, allowing six runs on five hits, two walks and striking out seven.
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Atlanta Braves starter Chris Sale reacts after throwing a pitch to Los Angeles Angels hitter Yoan Moncada in the fourth inning of a baseball game on April 6, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Caroline Brehman/AP Photo)
Sale entered the game having performed well against the Angels. He had an 8-0 record with a 1.24 ERA in 11 games, but was unable to achieve such success on Monday.
In three starts this season, Sale is 2-1 with a 3.94 ERA in 16 innings.
The Braves (6-5) will look to bounce back when they face the Angels (6-5) in the second game of their three-game series on Tuesday at 9:38 p.m. ET.
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