WORLD SERIES GAME 1 REPORT: Sale Sets the Tone! Braves 2, Friars 0

By Sammy Linedriv — TABL Beat Writer

On a brisk Friday night where every breath looked like smoke and every pitch looked like destiny, the Buffalo Braves struck first blood in the TABL World Series, and they did it on the back of their old warhorse.

Chris Sale didn’t just pitch. He commanded.

Eight ruthless, relentless innings. Seven strikeouts. Only one walk. Seven hits scattered like crumbs. Every San Diego threat extinguished before it ever caught flame.

He pitched with the cool of a man tying his shoes.

“He was in complete control,” Braves skipper said, barely able to hide the grin. “That’s why he’s our guy in Game 1.”

And boy, was he ever.

San Diego’s Missed Moment

The Friars’ best chance came in the third, and it came undone in the blink of an eye.

Fermin singled. One out later, Correa singled. Here we go…

Fermin tried for third. And was out by a mile.

A rally crushed before it began. Correa moved to second, but the inning was dead, and San Diego spent the rest of the night chasing ghosts.

“It felt like the crack in the door that slammed shut,” one Friars player said afterward.

Then the Braves Struck

For four innings, it looked like two heavyweights trading jabs. In the fifth, Buffalo finally threw the haymakers.

Pitch one: Willy Adames, goodnight, a solo blast to left.

Pitch two: Alec Bohm, don’t bother running, a towering shot to center.

Back-to-back. Two swings, two fireworks, and a 2–0 lead that might as well have been a canyon the way Sale was pitching.

Zac Gallen deserved better. Five innings, six strikeouts, just two mistakes. Both left the yard.

Baseball can be cruel like that.

Contreras Leads the Offense

While the homers stole the headlines, William Contreras owned the box score:3-for-4, two doubles, relentless pressure every trip.

Buffalo finished the night with eight hits, not a barrage, but enough to keep the Friars off balance. San Diego, meanwhile, finished 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and stranded seven. Suzuki doubled twice. Ohtani had two loud outs. Correa had two hits.

Nothing crossed the plate.

Treinen Finishes It

After 102 pitches of Sale’s masterpiece,

Blake Treinen handled the ninth. Suzuki doubled, offering the Friars a flicker of life, but the closer put out the bulb.

Pederson, strikeout. Paredes, groundout. Yastrzemski, bouncer to short.

Ballgame. Buffalo takes Game 1.

Key Numbers

• BUF: 2 R, 8 H, 0 E

• SD: 0 R, 7 H, 0 E

• WP: Sale (1–0)

• LP: Gallen (0–1)

• SV: Treinen (1)

• HR: Adames (1), Bohm (1)
  

Turning Point

The fifth inning, two pitches, two home runs, and a stadium erupting into the cold night air.

What’s Next

Game 2 is tomorrow, and San Diego arrives with urgency in their luggage. The Friars can’t afford to leave Buffalo without a win. The Braves? They smell something in the air, something like possibility.