The Atlanta Braves defeated the Philadelphia Phillies 5-2 in Friday's series opener, with Chris Sale making the start. Sale pitched six innings, allowing two runs on six hits while walking one and striking out seven, earning his 14th win of the season, per Battery Power.

Major League Baseball announced 2027 spring training schedules on Friday, though multiple outlets cautioned that the timing makes them highly provisional. True Blue LA noted these represent "the most tentative things on the baseball calendar" amid an offseason expected to involve labor negotiations, similar to the 2021-22 lockout that delayed spring training that year. McCovey Chronicles went further, suggesting that spring training itself may not occur as scheduled—or "at least, it probably won't be in spring."