The Bronx might not have been burning on Saturday, but the temperature was surely rising at Yankee Stadium.
Particularly so in the fifth inning when Braves manager Walt Weiss was ejected from the game after an extended argument after a costly balk.
Braves ace Chris Sale, pitching with a runner on third base on one out in the bottom of the fifth inning, was called for a balk by home plate umpire Dan Merzel with Austin Wells at the dish, allowing Spencer Jones to trot home with the go-ahead run.
Sale, the 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner, immediately threw up his arms in disgust and simultaneous disbelief. The southpaw immediately walked off the mound and began to have a conversation with Merzel, who was then joined in the conversation by Weiss after he trotted from the dugout.
The conversation then got heated, with Weiss at one point taking off his hat in an argument that lasted over a minute. Sale tried to make his point, but to no avail.
Weiss, in his first season as Braves skipper, was tossed from the ballgame. Sale, despite getting very animated in the discussion, was not ejected. He pitched six innings, yielding three runs.
It’s been a frustrating weekend series for the National League-East-leading Braves, who blew a 2-0 lead in the ninth inning before losing in the 10th on Friday.
