White Sox's Grant Taylor Delivers Historic Performance in 2026 ALDS

This has only happened a few other times in the playoffs

Oct 3, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Grant Taylor (31) pitches during the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians in game one of the ALDS for the 2026 MLB playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Chicago White Sox right-hander Grant Taylor has officially etched his name in the MLB postseason record books with his dominant outing on Saturday.

Taylor tossed four scoreless innings to close out Chicago's 3-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. The 24-year-old allowed just two hits and no walks while striking out six en route to his first career postseason save. And with the White Sox starting the ALDS with a bullpen game, this was arguably an even more crucial outing for the hard-throwing righty to set the tone for the rest of Chicago's matchup with Cleveland.

With this performance, Taylor is just the sixth pitcher in MLB history to record a save of four or more innings in the playoffs since saves became an official stat in 1969, according to MLB.com's Sarah Langs. The other pitchers on that list include Vida Blue, Pedro Borbon, Sammy Stewart, Madison Bumgarner, and Lance McCullers Jr. Taylor's six strikeouts on Saturday are also tied for the most by a reliever in a playoff outing with no walks, according to Langs. That truly makes this a historic outing for the young right-hander.

White Sox's bullpen could play a pivotal role against the Guardians

Oct 3, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Grant Taylor (31) celebrates with Chicago White Sox catcher Kyle Teel (8) after the game against the Cleveland Guardians in game one of the ALDS for the 2026 MLB playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While Taylor stole the spotlight on the mound in Game 1, all five of Chicago's pitchers kept Cleveland's bats quiet in the Guardians' first playoff game of the year. In fact, Cleveland had just three hits on Saturday, and two came against Taylor. But at the end of the day, all that matters for the White Sox is the Game 1 victory.

For the second straight playoff series, left-hander Hagen Smith started Game 1 for Chicago. The 23-year-old tossed three shutout innings against the Houston Astros in the Wild Card Series and then threw 2 2/3 hitless innings against the Guardians. The southpaw allowed three walks but struck out four on Saturday in his second career playoff appearance. While the young hurler has mostly pitched in relief since being called up in August, he could continue to be a weapon for the White Sox at the start of games this postseason.

Overall, Chicago's bullpen has been a key contributor to the team's 3-0 start to the 2026 MLB playoffs. If the White Sox are going to make a deep postseason run this year, arms like Taylor and Smith will likely need to play a major role.