CLEVELAND -- The question no longer seems to be whether the White Sox will emerge victorious in American League playoff action.
It’s now: Will the South Siders ever trail?
That may be a bit of an exaggeration just three games into the postseason, but with their 3-0 win over the Guardians in Game 1 of the American League Division Series at Progressive Field on Saturday afternoon, the White Sox still have not gone behind in 27 innings played.
They are now two wins away from moving on to the AL Championship Series. The White Sox took back home-field advantage in the process, meaning they are guaranteed two games at Rate Field following Sunday’s off-day and Monday’s contest at Progressive Field.
Munetaka Murakami, who has done nothing short of change the franchise since arriving from Japan via a two-year, $34 million free agent deal in the offseason, changed the game with one swing of the bat Saturday. The first baseman’s two-run home run, covering a Statcast-projected 440 feet, came after a Miguel Vargas single against rookie Parker Messick to open the fourth.
There wasn’t much more offense for the White Sox, but they didn’t need much more. Once again, the White Sox went with a bullpen game, and once again, it worked to near-perfection.
Even when rookie Hagen Smith walked the bases loaded with two outs in the third inning, manager Will Venable summoned Bryan Hudson to retire Chase DeLauter on a routine fly ball to left fielder Randal Grichuk. In the fourth, with the bases loaded again, this time against Anthony Kay, Brayan Rocchio lofted a routine fly ball to right fielder Braden Montgomery to end the threat.
A run in the seventh showcased another aspect of the White Sox success, with Kyle Teel racing home from first on Colson Montgomery’s double down the left-field line. The throw home beat Teel, but the ball got away allowing Teel to score.
Grant Taylor threw the final four innings for the old school save.