White Sox hold Guardians to three hits in ALDS Game 1 win - ESPN

CLEVELAND — The Chicago White Sox used a major league-leading 11 bullpen games en route to their first postseason appearance since 2021.

Manager Will Venable also went with it to win Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series, starting a sweep at Houston.

The formula paid dividends again Saturday in an AL Division Series opener against Cleveland.

Five Chicago pitchers combined for a three-hitter and struck out 12, and Munetaka Murakami hit a two-run homer as the White Sox beat the Guardians 3-0.

«You go out and you have a rough plan and then the players have to go out and execute, and then we were able to do that today,» Venable said. «They're going to take their walks, and they have a dynamic offense. So really important that you have guys pick each other up in these situations, which we saw today.»

Colson Montgomery added an RBI double for the White Sox, who have won nine of 11 games dating to the regular season.

It was Chicago's sixth postseason shutout and its first since the finale of a 2005 World Series sweep of Houston.

Cleveland, which won its third straight AL Central title by one game over the White Sox, had the bases loaded with two outs in the third and fourth innings but couldn't score.

«Of course, you're frustrated when you get shut out, but I thought our guys fought and battled,» Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. «With how well they threw, we were getting on base. We just couldn't get it going early in the inning.»

Game 2 is Monday afternoon at Progressive Field. The series shifts to Chicago for Game 3 on Wednesday.

Bryan Hudson (1-0) relieved starter Hagen Smith and got Chase DeLauter to line out to left with the bases loaded in the third to get out of the inning.

The star of the White Sox staff was Grant