Takeaways After White Sox Steal Game 1 of ALDS Thanks to Murakami, Electric Bullpen
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Every series between the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians has been hotly contested. This series looks to be no different. The White Sox beat the Guardians, 3-0, in yet another stressful Game 1 of the American League Division Series.
Moonshot by Munetaka Murakami Propels White Sox to Win
The White Sox were getting carved up by Guardians ace Parker Messick through three innings. It looked like this could potentially be a pitchers' duel between Messick and the White Sox bullpen. Then, the fourth inning happened.
Miguel Vargas singled to lead off the inning. Munetaka Murakami proceeded to get a first-pitch sinker in his wheelhouse, and he wasn't going to miss it. The ball traveled 440 feet at 112.2 mph off the bat for a monster two-run home run.
MUNETAKA MURAKAMI!@WHITESOX LEAD! pic.twitter.com/0FgVkJKpgo
— MLB (@MLB) October 3, 2026
Messick would exit in the fifth inning, which was a major win for the White Sox. In 4.1 innings, Messick gave up four hits, two runs, two walks, and struck out six batters. Colson Montgomery would hit a two-out double down the line to score the other run in this one, but it was Murakami's homer that would give the momentum to Chicago.
Chicago Pitching Excellent in Win
When the White Sox announced another bullpen day for Game 1 of this series, it was criticized a little. However, Will Venable's management in this game was electric. Rookie Hagen Smith would start and looked dominant through the first eight batters, striking out four. However, Smith would walk three consecutive batters to load the bases with two outs. Venable made the decision to take Smith out in favor of Bryan Hudson, who got the final out of the inning without any further damage.
Jordan Hicks came in and got two strikeouts, but walked a batter before exiting in favor of Anthony Kay. With a runner on base, Kay would give up a two-out double and walk the next batter. Once again, the Sox would have the bases loaded with two outs. However, Kay was able to get out of the jam and would shut things down the next inning. What happened from there was rare, but it worked out beautifully in the end.
Grant Taylor came in for the sixth inning and completed a four-inning save – an absolute anomaly in this game. Taylor would complete the shutout, giving up just two hits and striking out six batters. It was an aggressive decision by Venable, but Taylor got out of it with fewer pitches thrown (42) than in his unbelievable 2.1-inning outing in Game 1 against the Houston Astros.
Next Up
The White Sox will get an off-day before facing the Guardians for Game 2 of the ALDS on Monday. A White Sox Game 2 starter has not been announced yet, but it will likely be either Davis Martin or Sean Burke. Martin would be making his postseason debut and has not pitched since September 26. Burke would be making his second postseason start.
As for the Guardians, they will put Gavin Williams on the mound. In 32 regular-season starts, Williams had a 3.76 ERA with 248 strikeouts in 184.1 innings. Williams is one of the best strikeout pitchers in the American League, so the White Sox will need to show patience as they look to gain a legitimate upper hand in this series.
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Matthew Singer is a contributor for White Sox on SI. Before joining SI in 2026, he worked for Heavy as an MLB contributor and Cubs on SI. Singer has a master's degree in sports journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. He loves sports more than anything in the world.