Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves wins his first game since leaving the Red Sox

Michael Harris II hit a go-ahead grand run in the fourth inning, lefthander Chris Sale bolstered Atlanta’s rotation in his first home start, and the Braves defeated Arizona 5-2 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep.

The Braves hit three home runs. Matt Olson opened the second inning with a single shot, and Austin Riley added a two-run homer in the eighth.

Sale (1-0), acquired from the Red Sox in an offseason deal, allowed two runs on four hits and no walks in 5⅓ innings. Atlanta’s bats and bullpen helped them win the first two games of the series after Spencer Strider and Max Fried had bad starts.

Sale described the ovation from the sellout crowd of 40,693 when he departed the field in the sixth as remarkable.

“It’s my first time pitching here ever and my first time pitching here for the Braves,” Sale said in a statement. “It was something amazing. “I felt the energy throughout the entire game.”

"It was special. I felt the energy throughout the whole game. To be able to pitch in front of the home crowd, have some success and win a ball game. The ovation at the end was really special."

Chris Sale on pitching for the first time in Truist🫶 pic.twitter.com/vSqlnYuCjo

— Bally Sports South (@BallySportsSO) April 7, 2024

Sale retired Arizona’s first ten batters before allowing two runs in the fourth on Christian Walker’s RBI single. Sale’s balk allowed Corbin Carroll, who singled for the Diamondbacks’ opening hit, to score from third base.

Arizona right-hander Ryne Nelson (0-2) surrendered two home runs, including Harris’ drive that gave Atlanta a 3-2 edge.

Sale’s last win for a team other than the Red Sox occurred in 2016, when he was ending his seventh season with the White Sox.

Nelson allowed three runs and five hits in five innings. He matched his career high of seven strikeouts.

Chris Sale with the HBP Sword. 😂

Adding injury to insult. pic.twitter.com/bPqcokoXzF

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 7, 2024

Relievers Joe Jiménez, Tyler Matzek, and Pierce Johnson pitched 3⅔ scoreless innings. Johnson threw the ninth for his second save, allowing closer Raisel Iglesias to rest after pitching the first two games of the series.

The bullpen allowed no runs in 12⅓ innings in the three-game series.

“That’s a pretty impressive body of work these last three days,” said manager Brian Snitker.