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The Atlanta Braves shut out the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night, and Chris Sale was at the front and centre of it. The Braves completed a three-game sweep with a 1-0 victory at Truist Park. Though things looked a little different even before the game, Braves manager Walt Weiss also noticed a different kind of attitude in Sale. “This is mine,” Sale said while heading into the dugout after the eighth. However, it was mostly due to the motivation he gained after learning of the loss of a close friend. According to ESPN, Sale received a text about the passing of Ashley Foss, 42, whose father and brother have long been Sale's financial managers. “It felt weird out there. It felt like I had a little something else helping me tonight. There's no question that was her out there,” he later said. Sale's impressive performance in a rather personal and difficult time also received some praise from Braves manager Walt Weiss. “I always talk about how the Hall of Famers are just different, and that’s a perfect example right there. Chris knew that we were really thin tonight in the bullpen, so he puts a team on his back and throws a complete-game shutout against the world champions,” Weiss said, per Sportsnet. Even as a 37-year-old, Sale is still putting out performances like a young star who recently arrived in the pro league. He went for five hits while striking out 11 without a single walk. Sale also threw one of his hardest pitches, as his fastball clocked 100.1 mph. That was the first time he's reached that speed since 2018. So far in the 2026 MLB regular season, the Braves' ace has compiled a 13-9 win-loss record with 24 games started. He has also pitched 144.0 innings while maintaining a dominant 2.06 ERA. The Braves next play the Colorado Rockies on Friday at Truist Park in Atlanta.