Overview
- Sale was called for a balk by home-plate umpire Dan Merzel in the fifth inning of Saturday’s game, a play that allowed Spencer Jones to score and sparked a heated on-field argument that led to manager Walt Weiss’s ejection.
- Following that dispute, Sale continued protesting from the Braves’ dugout and was ejected by Merzel before the first pitch of Sunday’s series finale at Yankee Stadium, marking the fourth ejection of his career.
- Crew chief Dan Bellino told a pool reporter the balk was enforced because Sale is a 'hybrid' pitcher and did not verbally declare that he would use the windup before the at-bat in question, which is required by MLB rule when runners are on base.
- Because Sale was not scheduled to pitch on Sunday, the ejection had no immediate effect on Atlanta’s rotation, but video of the pregame exchange spread widely and became the focus of media and fan reaction.
- The incident highlights how enforcement of an obscure pitching rule can produce high-profile confrontations and could increase scrutiny of umpire interpretation and team pushback in future games.