Grant Taylor carried the final four innings, and the White Sox left Progressive Field with a 3-0 Game 1 victory over the Guardians on Saturday, extending a postseason run in which they have yet to play from behind through 27 innings.
The result
Chicago seized the American League Division Series opener behind another bullpen-game blueprint that kept Cleveland off the board. The White Sox are now two victories from the American League Championship Series and have reclaimed home-field advantage, assuring themselves of two games at Rate Field if the series returns to Chicago.
Munetaka Murakami supplied the swing that broke the game open. After Miguel Vargas led off the fourth with a single against Cleveland rookie Parker Messick, Murakami drove a two-run homer an estimated 440 feet. The first baseman, signed out of Japan on a two-year, $34 million deal during the offseason, has quickly become a defining presence in Chicago’s lineup.
The White Sox added their final run in the seventh on aggressive baserunning. Kyle Teel took off from first on Colson Montgomery’s double down the left-field line, and although the relay reached the plate ahead of him, the ball came loose and Teel scored.
Chicago’s relief corps had to work around two loaded-base situations. Rookie Hagen Smith issued walks to fill the bases with two outs in the third, prompting manager Will Venable to call for Bryan Hudson. Hudson got Chase DeLauter to lift a routine fly ball to Randal Grichuk in left.
Cleveland loaded the bases again in the fourth against Anthony Kay, but Brayan Rocchio’s fly ball to right was handled by Braden Montgomery, ending another threat. Taylor then took over the closing assignment and covered the last four frames for the old-fashioned save.
The rotation next
The clubs have Sunday off before Game 2 on Monday at Progressive Field. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET, 4 p.m. CT, with the series airing on TBS, truTV, UniMas and HBO Max.
