Atlanta Braves pitcher Chris Sale was ejected from Sunday's game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium before a single pitch had been thrown, despite not even being scheduled to play. He had remained angry about a balk call made against him during Saturday's game and confronted umpire Dan Merzel as the officiating crew took the field for the series finale, resulting in his early dismissal.

Sale, who started and pitched on Saturday, began shouting at Merzel before Yankees starter Cam Schlittler had delivered an official pitch in Sunday's finale. The incident set an unusual tone for what was billed as a pitching duel involving Sale and Yankees ace Gerrit Cole, with Sale's frustration over the balk call carrying over from the previous day's contest in the Bronx.