The Atlanta Braves walked off the Cincinnati Reds 3-2 in ten innings on Wednesday night in Truist Park.
Here is Today’s Three Things from the contest.
The Turning Point
Almost by default, it’s the bottom of the 10th inning.
Brent Suter got called on to handle the top half of the frame, and not only did he do it without allowing the Reds to score, but he also didn’t allow Manfred Man Matt McLain to even advance from second to third.
And the Braves rewarded him with a win.
Dashawn Keirsey Jr. checked in as the pinch-runner at second base to open the bottom of the frame and was immediately moved to third by a textbook bunt from Ha-Seong Kim. It wasn’t an easy pitch to bunt, either, with Mauricio Dubón likening Luis Mey and his 98-mph sinker as “bowling balls” in the postgame, but Kim deadened the ball right at the edge of the grass and nearly beat the throw to first.
After Drake Baldwin (unfortunately) was hit by an overcooked slider on the foot - if that ball had missed him and went to the backstop, the blazing-fast Keirsey would have scored from third - Dubón came to the plate. Absolutely refusing to walk, he worked the count full despite every pitch being out of the strike zone before he finally got something in the zone, beating Mey’s sinker into the ground and giving Keirsey a chance to score before Mey could collect the chopper and even attempt a throw home.
Said Dubón after the game when asked about being aggressive with his swings outside the zone, “Good things happen when you put the ball into play.”
The win is Atlanta’s 27th one-run victory of the season, a massive turnaround from their disappointing 21-35 record in those same close matchups last year.
Today’s Player of the Game
As always, it’s gonna be Christopher Allen Sale in this one.
The lefty, making his first start in 12 days, rebounded from a leadoff home run by Juan Brito to pitch into the 6th inning. He gave up a total of four hits, adding a double and two singles to that homer, and struck out ten with no walks.
And there were a few interesting observations here. The first is that Sale was clearly frustrated with the homer, just the fourth off him this season, as he was steadily pumping 99 to both Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart in response. He finished with 23 whiffs (43%) and a 37% CSW, averaging 97.8 mph on his four-seamer (nearly 1.7 mph higher than his season average) and allowed an average exit velocity of 83.1 mph. That 97.8 mph is the third-highest average four-seamer velocity of his career, per MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, and an average velo he hasn’t reached since 2018.
But the second was the two milestones he hit tonight: Five innings and ten strikeouts. The five innings mean that Sale will finish with 162 innings this season, giving the Braves a qualifying starter on ERA leaderboards this season (the rule is one inning pitched per team game played, so 162 is the minimum). They didn’t have one in an injury-filled year for the rotation in 2025, with Sale being one of the team’s two qualified starters in 2024.
The ten strikeouts clearly meant a bit more to him, as he successfully lobbied Walt Weiss to let him go back out for the sixth inning to get the final one. That gives Sale 200 strikeouts on the season, the 9th time in his career he’s finished with 200 or more punchouts. Sale joins his childhood idol Randy Johnson as the only two lefties to hit that mark that many times, a stat that he was clearly aware of going into the game. Weiss letting him go back in to get it and then immediately lifting him also gave the fans a great opportunity to give him the standing ovation he deserves for his excellent season.
Sale played off the importance of the milestone after the game, wanting to focus on the team’s achievement and the playoff-like atmosphere of Truist Park, but admitted that it was “cool” because “baseball people love even numbers.”
“I appreciate it, I’m thankful for the people that got me here, I’m thankful for being able to do it.”
He’ll get to experience a playoff game in Atlanta for the first time next week.
What You’ll Be Talking About
Once again, it’s the offense.
Atlanta’s runs tonight came off a Matt Olson solo shot in the 6th (off of starter Andrew Abbott, who entered the game with a 4.70 ERA), an Austin Riley solo shot in the 7th (also off of Abbott), and the 10th-inning walkoff.
Here’s a stat that will blow your mind:
In the month of September, Atlanta’s wRC+ for the first five innings of a baseball game is 42. That’s last, by a LOT.
They’re not only the worst, but they’re also far and away the worst. The next closest mark goes to Minnesota, at a 67 wRC+. For probable NL playoff teams, the next-worst is Philly at an 80 wRC+. Whoever they’ll face next week in Truist Park has a distinct advantage there.
(If you’re curious: Chicago is 8th at 117 and San Diego is 1st at 168.)
Now, against bullpens, they continue to excel - Atlanta’s wRC+ for the final three innings of regulation is a 164 wRC+, and not only is it best in MLB, it’s also far and away the best. The next closest team is the Mets, believe it or not, at 138. 26-point difference in their favor here, just like it’s a 25-point difference below the next-closest team in the first five innings.
This just doesn’t feel sustainable in October, but we’ll see if perhaps they can reverse that trend...somehow.
Looking for more discussion about this game?
Here’s tonight’s Postcast, with me and Locked On Braves host Jake Mastroianni, as we went live to break down the contest.
What’s Next for the Braves?
Tyler Mahle (7-10, 3.81) takes on Brady Singer (6-15, 5.67) for tomorrow’s finale at 7:15 on FS1.