CHICAGO -- Things seemed to start smoothly enough for right-hander Davis Martin and the White Sox during Saturday night’s game against the Rockies at Rate Field, as leadoff hitter Jake McCarthy bounced a routine grounder to first baseman Munetaka Murakami.
Murakami made the flip, but Martin missed the toss for an error. The Rockies scored three runs in that first inning en route to a 9-6 victory. Before the inning was over, Noah Schultz was called into the game to replace Martin, who was charged with three runs (two earned) in two-thirds of an inning.
Before the night was over, Cleveland clinched the American League Central and sent the White Sox to the AL Wild Card round beginning Tuesday, either at the Rangers or the Astros.
The Guardians celebrated an 11-5 victory in Kansas City, giving them a two-game lead in the division with one game remaining. The White Sox were without Chase Meidroth, their hot-hitting second baseman, for a second consecutive game due to left hamstring discomfort, although he did pinch-hit with a leadoff double in the eighth.
Shortstop Colson Montgomery also didn’t start against left-hander Jose Quintana, with Chicago manager Will Venable putting together what he deemed the best lineup to attack the one-time White Sox stalwart in Quintana.
There were chances for the White Sox. Down 5-2 with two outs in the fifth, they had the tying run at the plate in Randal Grichuk, only to have Grichuk pop out. They had the tying run at the plate in the sixth in pinch-hitter Montgomery, only to have Montgomery strike out for the 225th time this season, extending his single-season Major League record.
After Chicago scored a run in the seventh on a Grichuk groundout, Murakami launched a Statcast-projected 384-foot drive to right with the look of a game-tying home run. But Cole Carrigg caught the ball a few feet short of the wall to end the inning.
Kyle Teel singled after Meidroth’s double in the eighth, putting runners at the corners against reliever Brennan Bernardino. But Sam Antonacci struck out swinging, and Montgomery hit the next pitch for an inning-ending double play.