Hagen Smith will take the ball again when the White Sox open the American League Division Series in Cleveland, giving Chicago’s rookie left-hander another October assignment after his steady work in Houston.
Manager Will Venable named Smith the Game 1 starter Friday for Saturday’s matchup with the Guardians. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, noon in Chicago, with TBS, truTV, UniMas and HBO Max carrying the game.
Quick facts
- Smith starts ALDS Game 1 for Chicago on Saturday in Cleveland.
- The rookie worked three scoreless innings against Houston in the Wild Card Series.
- He posted a 1.29 ERA over 18 regular-season outings after his August promotion.
- Chicago has Sunday off before Game 2 on Monday.
Smith’s first postseason appearance came Tuesday against the Astros, when he gave the White Sox three clean innings and helped set an early tone. He surrendered two hits, struck out one and then turned the game over to Jordan Hicks.
The 2024 No. 5 overall Draft pick out of Arkansas has moved quickly through Chicago’s plans since arriving in August. His only regular-season start came as an opener against Pittsburgh on Sept. 10, but his 18 appearances produced a 1.29 ERA.
He has already seen Cleveland enough to give the White Sox a read on the matchup. In three appearances against the Guardians, Smith allowed two earned runs and two hits across 5 2/3 innings.
For Smith, the main challenge is settling into the moment after the opening pitch. He said the Houston outing brought some pregame nerves, but once he got on the mound, the game felt familiar again.
“It’s cool,” Smith said. “You want to do everything you can for the club, but it is still baseball. In Houston, I was anxious before that first pitch. After it, it was like, ‘This is just baseball.’”
Venable’s choice also reflects the calendar. With the built-in breaks of a best-of-five series, Chicago can lean more heavily on its bullpen than it would during a longer round. The White Sox will be off Sunday, then return for Game 2 on Monday.
