Chris Sale Throws 100 MPH, Shuts Out Dodgers 1-0

Chris Sale hit 100.1 MPH on a fastball to Shohei Ohtani in the third inning on August 27 — the first time in nearly eight years he had cracked triple digits — and then went out and shut out the Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0 on five hits, zero walks, and 11 strikeouts in 109 pitches at Truist Park. When a reporter asked how he managed to throw 100 MPH at 37 years old, he looked straight into the camera and said three words: «With my arm.»

That’s the quote. The full story is even better.

What Happened at Truist Park That Night

The Atlanta Braves needed a win to complete the sweep, and Sale handed them the best possible gift: a complete game. On the very first pitch of the night from Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Drake Baldwin launched a 402-foot home run to the Braves Chop House in right field. That was the only run of the game — and it was all Sale needed.

Nine innings. Five hits. Zero walks. Eleven strikeouts.

In the third, with Ohtani stepping in, the radar gun flashed 100.1 MPH and the crowd knew before the umpire even called the pitch. It didn’t end in a strikeout — Ohtani fouled it off — but the message was sent. Two innings later, Sale came back and blew a 99.6 MPH fastball up in the zone past Ohtani to end that at-bat.

When asked on the Braves Vision postgame interview how he threw 100 MPH after so many years away from that number, Sale kept it short: «With my arm.» Three words. End of answer. The clip hit 800 likes before the night was over.

Why 100.1 MPH Is Such a Big Deal

It’s not the fastest pitch of his career — per Statcast, it ranks as his seventh-hardest ever — but it is the first time he’s reached 100 since July 6, 2018. In between, Sale went through Tommy John surgery, a rib fracture, a elbow that refused to fully heal, and months of rehab that would have ended most pitchers’ careers.

Sale is 37 years and 150 days old. The shutout on August 27 is the 17th complete-game shutout of his career and his first since 2019 with Boston. But here’s the number that really stops you cold: at his age, the only pitchers since 1900 to throw a shutout with 10 or more strikeouts and zero walks are Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton, Eddie Plank, and Cy Young. That’s the list. Sale just joined it.

On top of that, Wednesday’s game was the 95th time in his career he has struck out 10 or more batters in a game — putting him just two behind Sandy Koufax (97) for sixth place all-time. He is two starts away from passing Koufax.

With a 2.20 ERA (second-best in the majors), a 1.00 WHIP, and the Braves leading the NL East, the Cy Young conversation isn’t hype. It’s math.

How Good Is Sale in 2026?

Beyond the velocity milestone, his Statcast profile tells the story of a pitcher in complete control. Sale ranks in the 93rd percentile in strikeout rate, the 96th percentile in walk rate, and the 95th percentile in Chase Rate — meaning almost no one in baseball gets hitters to swing at pitches outside the zone more often than he does. Opposing hitters are batting just .218 against him, and his average exit velocity allowed is 87.8 MPH, which means when they do make contact, they’re hitting it soft.

His xERA of 3.05 suggests his actual ERA is slightly better than his underlying contact quality would predict — but not wildly so. This isn’t a pitcher getting lucky. It’s a pitcher throwing well.