The Atlanta Braves’ Chris Sale said he will do his job as a starting pitcher and allow umpires to do their jobs when calling strikes under the automated at-bat challenge system MLB has instituted this season.
Each team faces two challenges at the start of each game. Only batters, catchers and pitchers may challenge a ball or strike, and they must indicate their intention to initiate a challenge by banging their heads immediately after the pitch.
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Sale, 36, pitched more than 30,000 times during his 15-year career with the Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves. During the remainder of his time on the mound, he would not challenge any calls he deemed to be strikes.
“I would never challenge the pitch. I would never do that. I wouldn’t do that,” Sale told reporters on Friday. “I’m not an umpire. That’s their job. I’m the starting pitcher. I’ve never called a pitch and a strike in my life. Plus, I’m greedy and I know that. I think they’re both strikes.”
Sale added that catchers like teammates Sean Murphy and Derek Baldwin are so good at organizing pitches that more pitches appear to be strikes than before, especially pitches in the corner of the plate. The nine-time All-Star, 2024 pitching Triple Crown and Cy Young Award winner said he would trust the umpires’ calls so as not to risk a challenge that could be used on important at-bats late in the game.
“I’ve dealt with this before, in all the games my entire career, there are pitches that are called strikes and pitches that are called strikes, you just deal with it,” Sale said.
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However, if Murphy or Baldwin disagree, that’s a different matter.
“If my catcher has anything to say about it, I’ll leave it to him,” Sale said. I’ve dealt with both sides and I’m happy to continue dealing with this issue. “
