Chicago White Sox pitching held the Cleveland Guardians scoreless through nine innings at Progressive Field on Saturday, with a 3-0 outcome giving Chicago the opening game of their American League Division Series matchup. Manager Venable opted for a bullpen-led approach to open the series for the White Sox.
Taylor worked four innings on the mound to close out the contest, a stretch that stood as the longest relief appearance of his career and earned him a four-inning save — an outcome that type of outing rarely produces. No save of four-inning length had appeared in postseason play since Lance McCullers Jr. took the mound for Houston and held that workload against New York in the 2017 American League Championship Series. In Saturday's contest, the relief pitcher who closed out the victory logged more innings than the starting pitcher for the winning side.
Assigned as Chicago's opener, Smith worked through the first few innings without incident until three consecutive walks left the bases loaded. With left-handed batter DeLauter stepping up to the plate, Venable handed pitching duties over to southpaw Bryan Hudson. Facing a bases-loaded situation with no outs, Hudson induced a fly ball off DeLauter's bat that ended the third inning with neither team having scored.
A line drive off the bat of White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas found left field to open the fourth inning, and first baseman Munetaka Murakami followed with a home run — the first of his postseason career. A 93-mph pitch from Messick found too much of the strike zone, and the ball carried approximately 440 feet into the right-field seats, giving the White Sox a 2-0 lead. Vargas and Murakami each reached base ahead of any other White Sox hitter in their first plate appearances against Messick.
Cleveland's lineup put pressure on the opposing pitching staff again in the fourth inning. Hicks, tasked with opening that frame, retired the first two batters before a walk to Nathaniel Lowe extended the at-bats. With a runner at first and two outs recorded, Venable turned to left-hander Anthony Kay to face left-handed batter Travis Bazzana.
A double from Bazzana rolled down the line, and Kay then issued four balls to Hedges to load the bases. A fly ball off Rocchio's bat to right field brought the inning to a close for Kay, with the two-run lead holding firm.
Messick was pulled from the game in the fifth inning after a Colson Montgomery single put the White Sox in position to force that change. Over 4⅓ innings, Messick held opposing batters to four hits and two walks while recording six strikeouts, though two runs crossed the plate against him. With one out and a runner on first, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt called on Daniel Espino, and the inning ended when Chase Meidroth grounded into a double play.
Returning for the bottom of the fifth, Kay faced the top of the Guardians' lineup and retired all three batters in order. Peters reached on a single and Vargas drew a walk in the sixth inning, giving the White Sox a baserunning opportunity. Vogt then lifted Espino and turned to Erik Sabrowski out of the bullpen.
Facing a bases-loaded situation with nobody out, Sabrowski recorded a strikeout against Murakami before completing a double play of an uncommon variety to close the inning. Pham drove a high fly ball toward left field, where Martínez tracked it to the warning track and caught it just short of the wall. A throw from Martínez back toward first base caught Vargas off the bag, completing the double play. A replay review upheld the original ruling after the White Sox disputed the out, arguing the ball had glanced off the outfield wall before reaching Martínez's glove.
Taylor entered the game at Venable's direction and kept the opposition off the scoreboard through the bottom of the sixth. With two outs remaining in the seventh, Chicago extended its lead by one run. Kyle Teel, who had drawn a walk earlier that inning, was standing on first base when Colson Montgomery stepped to the plate.
The ball off Montgomery's bat rolled toward the third-base line at 64 mph. A run from first base brought Teel home after Montgomery's placement found a gap in the defence. A relay throw from Martínez in left field got away from Hedges at the plate, and the ball rolled loose long enough for Chicago to score three runs in total.
Venable sent Taylor back out for the seventh-inning bottom half, and the right-hander retired the side without allowing a run. Herrin pitched a clean eighth inning for Cleveland, keeping the White Sox off the board, and Taylor followed by working through Chicago's lineup without allowing a baserunner.
With the three-run lead still intact, Smith worked through the ninth and held the line. Cleveland managed only three base hits on the day, with five walks issued by the opposing pitching staff. Sunday's 5 p.m. ET matchup puts Chicago in position to claim a second consecutive road victory, with Cleveland needing a win to level the series.
