The start of the 2025 MLB regular season has been one to forget for the Atlanta Braves. The Braves are sitting in the basement of the NL East with a 2-8 record after being considered a favorite to win the division.
The Braves have dealt with injuries, a player suspension, and a sputtering offense through the first few weeks of the 2025 campaign. On Tuesday, Atlanta opened up a three-game series at home against the Philadelphia Phillies and had its ace on the mound in Chris Sale.
The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner allowed nine hits and five earned runs (one home run) but struck out five batters in 4.2 innings pitched. The 36-year-old southpaw has not pitched at a Cy Young level to start this season, and there might be a big reason behind it.
During Tuesday night’s game, David O’Brien of The Athletic noticed that Sale’s fastball velo was down, a stark difference from his previous starts this season and last year.
O’Brien added that the veteran starting pitcher’s fastball topped out at 96.1 and 97.3 mph in the first frame, but none went past 93.7 after the opening inning.
Chris Sale's 93.6 avg FB velo was down .9 mph from previous starts this season and down 1.3 mph from his 2024 average. Topped out with 96.1 mph, 97.3 mph FBs in first inning, none above 93.7 after the first inning.
— David O'Brien (@DOBrienATL) April 9, 2025
Mark Bowman of MLB.com added more context to Sale’s fastball velo issues, spotlighting that he only threw five fastballs in 15 pitches in the fifth inning (last inning of work) and six sliders in his 8-pitch fourth inning. He also showed how Sale’s velo dropped by inning on his four-seamer on Tuesday.
Sale threw a fastball with just 5 of 15 pitches in the 5th and he threw 6 sliders during his 8-pitch 4th.
— Mark Bowman (@mlbbowman) April 9, 2025
4-seamer tonight
3rd. inning: 92.1 avg. and touched 93.4
2nd inning: 91.3 avg. and touched 92.7
1st inning: 93.9 avg. and touched 97.3.
2024: 94.9 avg.
This is slightly concerning if you are a Braves fan, as the four-seamer was Sale’s second-most utilized pitch in 2024 (38%), per Baseball Savant. The only other pitch Sale used more was the slider at 40.3%. Sale has used his slider at a 43.6% clip, with the four-seamer at 36.2% through his first three starts this season.
That said, the Braves will likely monitor Sale’s velocity going forward to make sure nothing is wrong with the southpaw. His next start is tentatively scheduled for Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays.