The Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Guardians 3-0 on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in the ALDS. Munetaka Murakami drove in both early runs with a fourth-inning home run, and the Chicago bullpen tossed a three-hit shutout.
Chicago scored its first two runs in the fourth inning when Murakami sent a 440-foot homer to right field, scoring Miguel Vargas. They added an insurance run in the seventh on Colson Montgomery’s RBI double that brought home Kyle Teel. Guardians starter Parker Messick took the loss, allowing two runs in 4.1 innings, while Cleveland managed just three hits and struck out 12 times as a team.
Takeaways from White Sox’s win over Guardians
Murakami delivers in the fourth
Murakami went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs. His fourth-inning shot traveled 440 feet to right field, accounting for the only runs Chicago needed. The first baseman scored once and struck out twice.
The bullpen locked down a shutout
Starter Hagen Smith pitched 2.2 innings, walking three straight batters in the third but allowing no runs. Bryan Hudson, Jordan Hicks, Anthony Kay and Grant Taylor combined for 6.1 scoreless innings. Taylor earned the save, working four innings with six strikeouts and two hits allowed.
Cleveland’s bats fell silent
The Guardians went 3-for-29 with 12 strikeouts as a team. Travis Bazzana collected the only extra-base hit, a double. The Guardians managed only five walks against Chicago’s pitching.
How the White Sox scored
Murakami’s two-run homer in the fourth gave Chicago a 2-0 lead. Kyle Teel scored on Colson Montgomery’s RBI double in the seventh to extend the advantage to 3-0.
Player of the game: Munetaka Murakami
Murakami went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs, a run scored and two strikeouts. He drove in all three runs Chicago needed to secure the Game 1 victory.
White Sox vs Guardians score by the numbers
- White Sox hits: 6 (Murakami 2, Vargas 1, Peters 1, others)
- Guardians hits: 3 (Bazzana 1, others)
- White Sox strikeouts: 10
- Guardians strikeouts: 12
- White Sox walks: 4
- Guardians walks: 5
- White Sox pitching strikeouts: 12
- Messick (L): 4.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 1 HR
- White Sox relief: 4.2 scoreless innings with 6 strikeouts
What’s next
Game 2 is Sunday in Cleveland. Chicago holds a 1-0 series lead and can move within one win of the American League Championship Series. The Guardians must win to even the best-of-five series at 1-1. Check three big keys for Game 2 and Murakami’s October journey.
Reporting from The Associated Press and Chicagotribune contributed to this story. Official statistics: ESPN (official league data).
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