Chris Sale leads Atlanta’s rotation with a 2.20 ERA in 2026 — and on Sunday, August 9, he didn’t throw a single pitch at Yankee Stadium. Not because of injury. Umpire Dan Merzel ejected him before the game even started, less than 24 hours after making the most debated balk call of the weekend. It’s the fourth ejection of Sale’s career, and his first since 2019 — also at Yankee Stadium.
The Saturday Balk: What Happened and Why It Matters
On Saturday, August 8, with Spencer Jones on third base in the fifth inning, Merzel called a balk on Sale. Jones scored, the Yankees went up 3-2, and Atlanta eventually lost 5-4. Sale took the loss — his first since June 28 — after six innings, three runs, and five hits. It was the third balk of his career.
Crew chief Dan Bellino explained the call postgame: «Chris Sale did not declare that he would be pitching from the windup for the second batter, and the rule requires that declaration because he is a hybrid pitcher.»
Manager Walt Weiss wasn’t buying it. At his postgame presser, Weiss said: «Sale declared for the previous batter that he was going out of the windup. According to them, he didn’t re-declare for the next one. He’s never done that in his career, so it’s a terrible call. I always try to show respect to umpires, and they know that — but you can’t make that call there.» Weiss was ejected that same Saturday defending Sale — the first ejection of his managerial career.
Sunday: Gone Before the First Pitch
The tension didn’t cool overnight. As the umpires walked onto the field before Sunday’s first pitch, Sale started chirping from the third-base dugout. Merzel ejected him on the spot. Sale had a brief word with crew chief Bellino near the dugout railing, but there was no reversing it.
Because Sale had started Saturday and wasn’t scheduled to pitch Sunday, the ejection had no impact on Atlanta’s pitching that day. His 2026 line stays clean: 12-7, 2.20 ERA in 21 starts. The Braves entered the game at 70-47, first place in the NL East.
But the question that lit up social media remains unanswered: why was the same umpire who made a disputed call on Saturday in a position to eject the affected player the very next day for continuing to dispute it?
Sale’s Career and the Bigger Umpire Debate
This is Sale’s fourth career ejection. The previous one came on August 3, 2019, when umpire Mike Estabrook tossed him mid-game while he was pitching for the Boston Red Sox — also at Yankee Stadium. The place has a way of finding him.
Sale is 37 years old, with 16 major-league seasons and 10 All-Star selections. He’s been one of the best pitchers in the National League this year, and the Saturday balk snapped a winning streak that had been running since late June. Losing that way, in a 5-4 game that felt winnable, stings twice.
The broader conversation this weekend reopened isn’t new, but it keeps coming back: MLB has no public accountability mechanism for umpires after incorrect calls. When the same official can eject the affected player before the next game — with no explanation of why he’s still on the crew — the frustration has a real foundation. Sale made that frustration visible, even if it cost him a day on the mound.
