White Sox Blank Guardians 3-0 in ALDS Game 1 Behind Murakami and Bullpen

Bullpen formula works again

CLEVELAND — Five Chicago White Sox pitchers combined for a three-hitter and struck out 12, Munetaka Murakami hit a two-run homer, and the White Sox beat the Cleveland Guardians 3-0 in Game 1 of the American League Division Series on Saturday, Oct. 3, the Associated Press reported via ESPN.

Chicago used a major league-leading 11 bullpen games in the regular season and again leaned on a multi-pitcher approach after sweeping Houston in the Wild Card Series. Starter Hagen Smith retired the first eight Guardians before loading the bases in the third; Bryan Hudson escaped with a lineout. Cleveland loaded the bases again in the fourth but could not score.

Murakami and Montgomery supply the runs

After Miguel Vargas led off the fourth with a hit, Murakami drove a first-pitch elevated sinker an estimated 440 feet into the right-field seats for his first postseason home run, making it 2-0. Colson Montgomery added an RBI double in the seventh that scored Kyle Teel, who slid home safely when catcher Austin Hedges could not hold the throw, AP said.

Guardians starter Parker Messick allowed two runs and four hits over 4⅓ innings with six strikeouts. Grant Taylor worked at least four innings for the save — the sixth such postseason save of four-plus innings in MLB history, AP noted — finishing with a career-best six strikeouts, including the last four batters.

Series outlook

It was Chicago’s first postseason shutout since the 2005 World Series finale and its sixth overall. Cleveland had won the AL Central by one game over the White Sox. Game 2 is Monday afternoon at Progressive Field; Gavin Williams is expected to start for Cleveland.

Sources: Associated Press via ESPN; MLB.com; CBS Chicago.