Braves ace Chris Sale tossed before first pitch in New York

NEW YORK - Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale was ejected by umpire Dan Merzel before throwing a pitch in Sunday's 2-1 victory over the New York Yankees, following an argument stemming from a balk penalty called a day earlier. 

What we know:

Sale began yelling at umpire Dan Merzel as the officiating crew walked past the Atlanta dugout before the game started. Merzel immediately threw Sale out, prompting crew chief Dan Bellino to step in near the dugout rail. 

The dispute carried over from Saturday's 5-4 loss, where Merzel called Sale for his third career balk, allowing rookie Spencer Jones to score an RBI triple. 

Bellino explained to a pool reporter that Sale failed to declare he was pitching from the windup during that specific at-bat

Dig deeper:

The early exit marked Sale's first ejection since Aug. 3, 2019, when he was tossed for arguing balls and strikes at Yankee Stadium while playing for Boston. 

Manager Walt Weiss was also ejected during Saturday's argument over the balk call. 

Sale, who holds a 12-7 record with a 2.20 ERA in 21 starts during his third season with Atlanta, suffered his first loss since June 28 on Saturday after allowing three runs and five hits over six innings. 

What we don't know:

It remains unclear if Major League Baseball will issue additional fines or discipline following Sale's fourth career ejection. Despite losing their starting pitcher before first pitch, Atlanta secured a 2-1 victory in 10 innings thanks to an RBI single by center fielder Michael Harris II.