Munetaka Murakami’s two-run home run, combined with a strong pitching performance from five Chicago hurlers, propelled the White Sox to a 3-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians in the opening game of the AL Division Series on Saturday. Colson Montgomery also contributed with an RBI double for the White Sox, who have been on a hot streak, winning nine of their last 11 games, including a sweep of Houston in the wild card series.
Despite having multiple opportunities with the bases loaded in the third and fourth innings, Cleveland, who narrowly clinched the AL Central title over the White Sox, failed to score any runs. The White Sox opted for a bullpen strategy for the second time in three postseason games, resulting in a dominant performance with a total of 12 strikeouts.
Bryan Hudson secured the win (1-0) and Grant Taylor earned the save after pitching four innings, striking out six, and allowing only two hits. The game saw starter Hagen Smith’s impressive start, retiring the first eight Cleveland batters before encountering trouble in the third inning.
The Guardians finally got their first hit in the fourth inning, but Murakami’s towering home run and Montgomery’s timely double secured the victory for the White Sox. Cleveland’s starter, Parker Messick (0-1), gave up two runs on four hits over 4 1/3 innings, striking out six and walking two.
The series now moves to Game 2 at Progressive Field on Monday, with Game 3 scheduled in Chicago on Wednesday.