Chris Sale Hits 2,500 strikeout milestone, Braves blast Phillies 9-3 in nightcap

The Phillies grabbed the opener of Thursday’s doubleheader against the Braves with a 5-4 win, but the nightcap was all Atlanta — and all Chris Sale.

The Rafael Marchan Game: Phillies beat Braves 5–4 in Game 1 without Bryce Harper

Sale made history, became the fastest pitcher in MLB history to reach 2,500 career strikeouts, and spun six scoreless innings as the Braves cruised to a 9-3 win to split the twin bill at Citizens Bank Park.

Sale struck out Edmundo Sosa in the sixth inning for strikeout No. 2,500, surpassing Randy Johnson’s old mark for fewest innings needed to get there (Sale did it in 2,026 innings; Johnson needed 2,107.2).

He’s just the 40th pitcher in history to reach the milestone and joins Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, and Max Scherzer as the only active pitchers on that list.

Not a bad night’s work — and fittingly, Sosa was also the last hitter Sale faced. The veteran lefty allowed just two hits over six shutout innings, fanned eight, and gave Atlanta exactly what they needed to snap a three-game skid.

Meanwhile, Zack Wheeler had one of his rougher outings of the season. The Phillies’ ace allowed six runs in 5.1 innings — just his second loss in his last 13 starts — and the game quickly got away in the middle innings.

Austin Riley did the damage early, driving in four runs with a double and a homer. Ozzie Albies kept his hot streak going with his sixth homer of the season (and 14th straight game with a hit), while Luke Williams added a pair of RBIs.

The Phillies had their best chance in the fifth, loading the bases with two walks and a hit batter, but Alec Bohm grounded out to end the threat. From there, the Braves pulled away.

Welcome to Philly, Josh Walker

The Phillies have acquired LHP Josh Walker from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations. Walker was optioned to Lehigh Valley (AAA).

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 30, 2025

In a bit of postgame news, the Phillies acquired lefty reliever Josh Walker from the Blue Jays for cash considerations. He’ll head to Triple-A Lehigh Valley but is now on the Phillies’ 40-man roster — a depth move to monitor as the bullpen continues to evolve.

Up Next for the Phillies:

The Phillies stay home to face Milwaukee. Taijuan Walker (2-3, 2.97 ERA) starts Friday night against Quinn Priester (1-2, 4.23 ERA). Tough way to end the doubleheader, but overall the Phillies are still 11-2 in their last 13 games. On to the next one.

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