Chris Sale shut out the Dodgers and threw a 100 mph fastball in the process.
You could call it turning back the clock, but that would imply the Atlanta left-hander's best days are behind him. And that's hardly the case.
Sale struck out 11 in a five-hitter Thursday night, lowering his ERA to 2.06. Only Jacob Misiorowski's (1.73) is better, and Sale may be the only one capable of pushing the Milwaukee ace in the Cy Young race. At the very least, Sale has a good chance to post his eighth top-five finish in a Cy Young vote. He won in 2024, his first season with the Braves.
Thursday's 1-0 win over Los Angeles was Sale's first complete game since 2019 and included his first time reaching 100 mph on a pitch since 2018. He was with Boston then, wrapping up a stretch of seven straight years (2012-18) finishing in the top six in the Cy Young vote. But a poor 2019 was followed by Tommy John surgery, and Sale's future looked uncertain.
Since the Red Sox traded him to Atlanta for Vaughn Grissom, however, Sale has been an elite pitcher again. He finally won that elusive Cy Young in 2024, going 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA. He was 7-5 with a 2.58 ERA in 21 games last season, and this year he's on pace to post an ERA under 2.20 for the third time as a starter. He also did that in 2014 with the Chicago White Sox and 2018 with Boston.
The 37-year-old Sale doesn't have as much Cy Young hardware as Justin Verlander or Max Scherzer, but if he can pitch into his 40s like they have, his Hall of Fame case could look pretty solid. His career wins above replacement total — per Baseball Reference — is roughly the same as CC Sabathia's. And Sabathia was voted in on the first ballot.
Sale is under contract with Atlanta for next season, and the Braves have a team option for 2028.
Sale's only second-place finish in the Cy Young vote came in 2017. Who beat him out?
While Sale tries to prevent Misiorowski from running away with the Cy Young Award, Pete Crow-Armstrong is putting in quite a claim for the National League MVP. He hit three homers with six RBIs for the Chicago Cubs in a 17-5 win over Cincinnati on Saturday. Then the following day he went deep two more times. Crow-Armstrong is up to 38 homers on the year, just two shy of Kyle Schwarber's major league-leading total.
The Reds scored seven runs in the top of the ninth to beat San Francisco 10-9 on Wednesday. Héctor Rodríguez led off the inning with a homer to make the score 9-4. Then a single and two walks loaded the bases for Eugenio Suárez, whose grand slam brought Cincinnati within a run with still nobody out. Jose Trevino eventually tied it with a sacrifice fly, and Tyler Stephenson's RBI single gave the Reds the lead.
The Braves were baseball's only unbeaten team this week, going 6-0. They continue to hold Philadelphia at arm's length in the NL East, leading the division by five games after Matt Olson's walk-off single against Colorado on Sunday extended Atlanta's winning streak to seven.
The Braves swept three straight games against the Dodgers, winning each by a run. One of them was Sale's gem. Another came on a walk-off single by pinch-hitter Ha-Seong Kim.
Cleveland's Corey Kluber won it that year.
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale, right, celebrates after winning a baseball game shutout against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)
Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale (51) celebrates with catcher Drake Baldwin after Sale won a complete game shutout of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the ninth inning of a baseball game, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces relentlessly battered Kyiv and cities in the region around the Ukrainian capital for a fifth straight day Monday, leaving some supermarket shelves bare after repeated strikes on warehouses as Ukraine reels from attacks with jet-powered drones.
Russia has intensified its aerial attacks in recent months, more than four years after it invaded its neighbor. Almost constant air raid alerts in the Kyiv region in recent days have severely disrupted daily routines. Two major attacks in July killed almost 50 civilians, and a strike on Saturday killed at least 38 people.
Classes were due to resume at Ukrainian schools on Tuesday, but it was unclear whether parents would send their children. Schools have air raid shelters, and classes can also be held online.
“Right now, Russia’s tactic is to wear down Ukraine and Ukrainians — first and foremost, our people,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media late Sunday.
Ukraine has also tried to make Russian civilians feel the burden of war by hammering major online retailers and oil facilities. The attacks have brought shortages for ordinary Russians, though its strikes have not been as deadly for civilians.
A pall of black smoke drifted over Kyiv on Monday morning. In Brovary and Boryspil, cities in the Kyiv region, the aerial attacks struck several warehouses and four people were wounded, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the regional military administration.
Zelenskyy conceded on social media that Ukraine is struggling to counter fast-flying jet-propelled drones that Russia is increasingly deploying.
Between Thursday and Sunday, Russia fired almost 1,500 drones at Ukraine, and around 800 of them were jet-powered, Zelenskyy said.
Combat aircraft are currently trying to stop the jet-powered versions while Ukraine looks to develop more effective technology.
“Four companies have developed the relevant interceptor drones, and one company has the most successful technology,” Zelenskyy said. He didn't elaborate.
Repeated Russian strikes on food distribution centers and retail hubs have disrupted Ukrainian logistics, leaving some supermarket shelves bare and fueling public concern about shortages.
Those fears prompted Zelenskyy adviser Serhii Beskrestnov to say on social media Monday that Ukraine will not go hungry.
He urged the public not to give in to rumors, disinformation or panic, saying producers and retailers are currently restructuring supply chains.
He added that European countries would be ready to fill any food supply shortfall, if necessary.
At the same time, Russia has kept up its attacks on Ukraine’s power grid, seeking to leave civilians cold and without running water in the approaching winter.
Russian forces launched what officials said was a massive overnight drone attack on Ukraine’s northern Chernihiv region, which borders Russia, where an energy facility was damaged, according to Viacheslav Chaus, head of the regional military administration. He did not provide details of the damage.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday it is preparing “massive strikes” on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
Russia overnight shot down 239 Ukrainian drones over 14 Russian regions, occupied Crimea and the waters of the Black Sea, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said Monday.
A Ukrainian missile attack Sunday evening on the Russian border city of Belgorod killed three people, acting regional Gov. Alexander Shuvayev said.
Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. Elise Morton in London contributed to this story.
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, a woman looks at a residential building damaged by a Russian air strike in Sloviansk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian guided bomb strike in the city center of Sloviansk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
This photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service shows a site of a residential building damaged by a Russian guided bomb in the city center of Sloviansk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Monday, Aug. 31, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
