ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Right-hander Charlie Morton will start the Atlanta Braves’ season finale against the Pirates on Sunday, a game that will likely mark the end of his 18-year MLB career.
The Braves have Morton listed as Sunday’s starter, with southpaw Chris Sale expected to follow behind him. Sale was originally listed as Sunday’s starter.
Atlanta signed Morton earlier this week after he was DFA’d by the Detroit Tigers. The expectation is that this is the final start of his career.
The Braves drafted Morton in 2002 and he made his MLB debut for the Braves in 2008. He was traded to the Pirates in 2009 and spent seven years in Pittsburgh.
Morton had a 41-62 record and 4.39 ERA in 142 starts for Pittsburgh between 2009 and 2015 and was later a key contributor to the 2021 Braves squad that won the World Series. The 2021 ring was his second World Series title. His first was in 2017 with the Houston Astros.
Atlanta Braves pitcher Charlie Morton throws in the first inning of a make-up baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jason Allen)(Jason Allen | AP)
His 2025 did not go as planned. The 41-year-old has pitched to the tune of a 5.89 ERA in 32 games with both the Tigers and the Baltimore Orioles.
The Orioles signed him in the offseason in the hopes that he could anchor a playoff-quality rotation, but he was traded at the trade deadline to the Tigers. At that time, the Tigers were nine games up on the Cleveland Guardians for the AL Central lead. The Guardians now lead the division with one series left to go.
Morton had a 7.09 ERA in 39.1 innings pitched in Detroit.
As for Sunday, right-hander Johan Oviedo is expected to take the bump for the Pirates.