At 37 years old, Chris Sale reminded baseball why he's a future Hall of Famer. The Atlanta Braves left-hander threw a complete-game shutout against the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night at Truist Park, striking out 11 and scattering five hits in a 1-0 Braves win that sent 39,650 fans home buzzing.

It was Sale's first complete game since 2019 and the 16th of his career, a stretch of dominance that spanned nine full innings against a Dodgers lineup loaded with superstars, including Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Mookie Betts. Sale needed just south of 100 pitches to finish the job, and he made sure everyone knew he wanted to see it through to the end.

"I try to throw a complete game every time. I've never tried to give up a hit. I've never tried to give up a run. I never like getting pulled out of the game," Sale said after the win, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "You know, after the eighth inning, I knew my pitch count was creeping up there, but 1-0 ballgame, I knew I was just south of 100, so I just told (Braves manager) Walt (Weiss), 'I got this one.' Tonight it worked out."

The lone run of the game came off the bat of Braves catcher Drake Baldwin, whose solo home run in the second inning proved to be all the offense Atlanta would need. Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto also pitched well, but it was Sale's night from start to finish.

Final score: Braves 1, Dodgers 0

Sale: 9 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 11 K, complete-game shutout

Sale's first complete game since 2019; 16th of his career

Braves catcher Drake Baldwin homered for the game's only run

The performance was made all the more remarkable given Sale's age and the caliber of opponent. The Dodgers have been one of the most feared lineups in baseball for years running, and shutting them out for a full nine innings is a rare feat even for the game's best arms. Braves manager Walt Weiss let the leash out a little longer than normal, trusting his ace to close it out himself rather than turning to the bullpen in the late innings.

"That's Sale," Weiss said, praising his starter's competitiveness and command. "Enough Hall of Famers around here talk about how, when he's on, he's always going right at hitters. That's what he did tonight."

Sale reportedly touched 98-99 mph on his fastball at least four times during the outing, a velocity mark he hasn't consistently hit in years, according to pitch-tracking data cited in postgame coverage. For a pitcher who has battled injuries throughout his career, the ability to still dial it up in a signature moment against the sport's flagship franchise says as much about his conditioning as it does his competitive fire.

The win kept the Braves' playoff push alive as they continue to battle for postseason positioning down the stretch. For the Dodgers, it was a rare quiet night from a lineup that has carried the team to back-to-back championships, a reminder that even the best offenses in baseball can be shut down completely when a veteran ace is locked in.

Elsewhere around the league Thursday, the Milwaukee Brewers continued their strong season with an 8-2 win over the Mets behind a strong outing from Jacob Misiorowski, while the Kansas City Royals blew out the Toronto Blue Jays 13-2. The St. Louis Cardinals edged the Baltimore Orioles 7-5, and the New York Yankees fell 5-1 to the Houston Astros despite a solid start from Gerrit Cole.