ATLANTA -- Chris Sale strengthened his bid to win the National League¡¯s Triple Crown and Cy Young Award on Sunday, but really all he cared about was playing a part in what has a chance to be one of the most important wins the Braves will need while attempting to remain in the thick of the postseason race.

¡°That was a dogfight from the jump,¡± Sale said.

What was manager Brian Snitker thinking after he used six pitchers and 13 position players on the way to a thrilling 4-3, 11-inning win over the Blue Jays at Truist Park?

¡°That was probably my top two or three most draining games I¡¯ve ever been a part of,¡± Snitker said. ¡°It¡¯s great how they just hung in there and kept forcing the issue.¡±

Instead of having to dwell about blowing an eighth-inning lead, the Braves erased deficits in two of the final three innings and moved back into a tie with the Mets for the NL¡¯s final Wild Card spot.

Sale was dominant through his six scoreless innings, and closer Raisel Iglesias continued to amaze during yet another impressive multi-inning effort. Their efforts set the stage for Eli White to play the role of unlikely hero.

The 30-year-old White has spent most of his career -- including a majority of this season -- at the Minor League level. White¡¯s days as a middle infielder pretty much ended after the 2019 season, but he spent the final stages of Sunday¡¯s win playing second base, tallying a big ninth-inning hit, before diving across the plate for the winning run.

¡°That was awesome,¡± White said. ¡°Obviously, speed is one of my skill sets, so anytime I get a chance to show that off and help the team win, that was really cool.¡±

How big was this win? The usually stoic Sean Murphy was seen smiling after producing the grounder that allowed White to beat the throw home.

¡°I got the hit at the end,¡± Murphy said. ¡°But that¡¯s all about the pitching. They carried us through. I¡¯m just glad we got that last one.¡±

Sale¡¯s bid to become the first MLB pitcher to reach 17 wins was erased when Gio Urshela whiffed on an Ernie Clement grounder and Spencer Horwitz hit a two-run shot, his third homer within a 24-hour span. But the 35-year-old southpaw strengthened his postseason awards resume while limiting the Blue Jays to two hits over six scoreless innings.

¡°How he does what he does is amazing to me,¡± Snitker said after Sale¡¯s season-high 113-pitch effort.

Sale is tied for the league lead in wins (16), but stands alone atop both the ERA (2.38) and strikeout (213) categories. He finished within the top six in AL Cy Young Award balloting seven times from 2012-18, but he has never won the top honor.

The three most recent pitchers to win a Triple Crown were Shane Bieber (in the COVID-shortened 2020 season), Clayton Kershaw (2011) and Justin Verlander (2011).

¡°I¡¯d like to be in line to win the World Series, that¡¯s it,¡± Sale said. ¡°This time of year, we just need to win games by doing whatever it is we¡¯re called to do.¡±

Sale now has a 1.32 ERA in the 12 starts he has made following a Braves loss. An even more impressive stat might be the 0.00 ERA that Iglesias has produced over his past 29 appearances (34 1/3 innings), dating back to June 18. Opponents have hit .092 (10-for-109) against him during this stretch of nearly three months.

After tossing a scoreless 10th, Iglesias then told Snitker he wanted to pitch the 11th as well. He surrendered George Springer¡¯s two-out RBI single in that final frame, but the run was unearned as it was scored by the player placed at second base at the start of the extra inning.

¡°Iggy¡¯s just on another planet right now,¡± Sale said.

White may have felt like he was too after experiencing one of his career thrills. He entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh, moved to second base for the top of the ninth, and then tallied the first of the two singles that led to a game-tying run in the bottom half.

His 11th inning experience began with a bunt single and ended with a celebratory dash to the plate.

¡°I¡¯m proud of these guys and how they fight,¡± Snitker said.