Chris Sale’s new milestone fuels Braves’ series win over Phillies

TL;DR

The Atlanta Braves defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 6-2, with Chris Sale achieving a career milestone of 2,612 strikeouts, surpassing Chuck Finlay. Matt Olson and Eli White contributed with home runs, while Aaron Nola struggled on the mound for the Phillies.

Key points

Braves defeated Phillies 6-2
Chris Sale achieved 2,612 career strikeouts
Matt Olson and Eli White hit home runs
Aaron Nola raised his ERA to 6.03
Braves lead MLB with 20 wins

Mentioned in this story

Truist Park

Chris SaleAtlanta BravesPhiladelphia PhilliesMatt Olson

ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 26: Chris Sale #51 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates in the third inning during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Truist Park on April 26, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images After giving the Philadelphia Phillies their first win since April 13th yesterday in extras, the Atlanta Braves took advantage early on in today’s matchup and secured the win 6-2. Kicking the game off with a three-run homer is not so shabby a way to set the tone. Matt Olson took the opportunity in the bottom of the first on a fly ball, bringing in Ronald Acuña Jr. and Drake Baldwin to take an early lead (3-0). Eli White followed suit in the second with a two-run homer of his own to drive in Mauricio Dubón, extending the Braves’ lead (5-0). It didn’t take long for Baldwin to secure an RBI-single to drive in Acuña for the team’s final run of the afternoon. However, that didn’t mean the job was over. The Phillies remained scoreless until the eighth, where saved the team from a shutout with a two-run homer to decrease the Braves’ lead by four runs (6-2). Only going through 4.2 innings with 101 pitches thrown, Phillies’ pitcher has now raised his ERA to 6.03 after giving up six earned runs, seven hits and three walks with six total strikeouts. His velocity for his four-seamer averaged around 92.4 mph, but his overall command was out of the zone most of the day as he let the game get away from him from the start. On the other hand, for the Braves lefty Chris Sale, he not only had a successful outing in his six innings (1 H/ 0 ER/ 9 K), but he also reached a new achievement. Increasing his career strikeout total to 2,612, he surpassed five-time All-Star Chuck Finlay (2,610 strikeouts), placing him 28th on the all-time list. Now, Sale did run into a little trouble in the third after loading the bases, but he immediately got out of it, throwing a 98 mph fastball to close out the inning in prime Chris Sale fashion. As if that wasn’t enough, both his sinker and slider were extremely difficult to today. An overall satisfying win to secure another win against their division rivals, to enter a well-deserved break before taking on on Tuesday. Until then, the Braves remain leading the MLB with their 20 wins, and hope to carry it out as long as they can with a target on their back, but a determined team that seems to be immune to defeat. Do you think the rest of the MLB is on high alert?

Q&A

What milestone did Chris Sale achieve in the game against the Phillies?

Chris Sale reached 2,612 career strikeouts, surpassing Chuck Finlay to rank 28th on the all-time list.

How did the Braves perform against the Phillies on April 26, 2026?

The Braves won the game 6-2, with significant contributions from Matt Olson and Eli White, who both hit home runs.

What was Aaron Nola's performance like in the game against the Braves?

Aaron Nola pitched 4.2 innings, allowing six earned runs and raising his ERA to 6.03 after giving up seven hits and three walks.