Wild Card Game 1 is in the books and the Chicago White Sox came out on top. Led by Hagen Smith, the Southsiders rode early runs to victory in the battle of the bullpens. They now find themselves just one win away from winning their first Postseason series since 2005 and advancing to face the division-rival Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS.
The White Sox’ patience was the story against Astros opener AJ Blubaugh. Sam Antonacci led off the game with an 8-pitch walk and advanced to third on an errant throw from Christian Walker on Kyle Teel’s ground ball. Munetaka Murakami drove him in on a sacrifice fly to get the Southsiders on the board first. A pair of singles and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases with nobody out in the second, and Sam Antonacci’s single plated a pair to make it 3-0 White Sox early. Hagen Smith fired three scoreless innings to open the game, showing excellent command of the strike zone.
Colson Montgomery, hitting in the 9th-spot amid some struggles, led off the fourth inning with a home run to center to make it 4-0, and an infield single by Chase Meidroth with the bases loaded in the fifth made it 5-0. The Astros got on the board in the fifth on a single by Lucas Spence and a home run by Nelson Velazquez against Sean Newcomb, but the White Sox got one back on a wild pitch in the seventh. Houston extended the eighth inning after Munetaka Murakami’s foot came off the base on a ground ball by Jose Altuve, plating their third run, but Grant Taylor got Yainer Diaz looking to limit the damage. Taylor came out for the ninth, walking Christian Walker to lead it off before fanning Lucas Spence and Cam Smith and inducing a groundout to third to end the ballgame.
A heavyweight pitching matchup is on the docket for Game 2 in Houston Wednesday
The White Sox used five pitchers in Game 1 with Hagen Smith, Jordan Hicks, Sean Newcomb, David Sandlin, and Grant Taylor each contributing positively to the win. Chicago will give the ball to their ace tomorrow, electing to start Sean Burke with no opener against the Houston lineup. With Pena, Alvarez, and Paredes at the top of Houston’s order all having hit better against righties this season, the first inning will be a tough task for Burke, who is on the heels of a breakout season.
Sean Burke will start for the @WhiteSox tomorrow.
— Connor McKnight (@C1McKnight) September 30, 2026
Since MLB switched to the Wild Card Series format, teams that win Game 1 are 15-1 in the series. That’s not to say the White Sox work is finished. The Astros will send their ace, Hunter Brown, to the hill to try to even up the series, and Brown pitched well in two starts against the White Sox during the regular season. Houston is a talented team with a powerful offense who can change the series in a hurry. In the Postseason, all hands are on deck, so it’s certainly possible that some pitchers that threw today will be available against tomorrow for the White Sox. I wouldn’t expect Grant Taylor, who threw 54 pitches, to be available, however.
If the White Sox can win one of the next two games and advance to the ALDS, they’ll open the series against Cleveland at Progressive Field with a noon game on Saturday. Game 2 would take place Monday at 4pm central. The times for the remainder of the Division series have not yet been announced.
Sox fans, enjoy the win, try to lower your blood pressure, and tune in tomorrow as the White Sox try to accomplish a feat they haven’t done in 21 years.
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