CLEVELAND — The Chicago White Sox seized Game 1 of the American League Division Series with a 3-0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field, riding a two-run homer from Munetaka Murakami and an RBI double in the seventh to quiet a sellout crowd in Cleveland.
Rookie Parker Messick made his postseason debut for Cleveland and delivered a composed outing despite the loss. The right-hander, coming off a Cy Young and Rookie of the Year caliber regular season, threw 54 pitches through three innings and struck out six while reaching 98 mph. He allowed two runs on four hits and two walks over 4.1 innings on 87 pitches, 56 for strikes, before manager Stephen Vogt went to the bullpen with one out in the fifth.
Chicago opener Hagen Smith was forced out early as Cleveland worked deep counts. The Guardians loaded the bases in the bottom of the third on three walks from the 9-1-2 hitters, but reliever Bryan Hudson stranded them when Chase DeLauter lined out to left on a full count. Cleveland threatened again in the fourth after Vogt pinch-hit Nathaniel Lowe for David Fry with two outs. Lowe walked, Anthony Kay entered for Chicago, and Travis Bazzana doubled to right for Cleveland's first hit before Austin Hedges walked to load the bases again. Brayan Rocchio then flew out to right on a 2-1 sweeper to end the inning.
Murakami provided the decisive swing in the top of the fourth, following a Miguel Vargas single with a first-pitch two-run homer off Messick. Daniel Espino relieved Messick in the fifth and induced a 4-6-3 double play on two pitches, and Erik Sabrowski escaped a sixth-inning jam when left fielder Angel Martínez made a running catch at the wall on Tommy Pham's long fly ball and doubled off the runner at first — a call confirmed after a Chicago challenge. Sabrowski later allowed a walk and an RBI double down the left-field line in the seventh, with Martínez's throw home not handled by Hedges for the insurance run. Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herrin and Cade Smith closed the final innings for Cleveland.
The Guardians finished with limited offense despite seeing much of Chicago's bullpen. Nathaniel Lowe doubled in the sixth, Patrick Bailey pinch-hit for Hedges and singled to lead off the seventh, but Cleveland hit into a double play and went 1-2-3 in the eighth. Jo Adell went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts as the designated hitter and DeLauter went 0-for-4, as Cleveland left multiple runners in scoring position and heard "Let's Go White Sox" chants in the ninth while facing its final three outs.