The Historic Turnaround
The Chicago White Sox made history on Tuesday by beating the Houston Astros 6-3 in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series. This victory marks the team's first postseason win since October 10, 2021.
It has been a wild ride for Chicago. They became the first team in major league history to reach the playoffs immediately after back to back 100 loss seasons. This includes a brutal 2024 season where they set a modern record with 121 losses. Before the game, they even received a letter of support from Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native.
How the Game Was Won
The White Sox did not waste any time. They jumped to a 3-0 lead by the second inning. Munetaka Murakami got things started with a sacrifice fly in the first inning. Sam Antonacci then drove in two runs with a single in the second.
Colson Montgomery, who was moved down to ninth in the batting order, hit a massive 432 foot solo home run in the fourth inning to make it 4-0. Chase Meidroth added an RBI single in the fifth to extend the lead to 5-0.
Both teams relied heavily on their bullpens, using a total of 13 pitchers. Rookie left hander Hagen Smith started for Chicago, throwing three scoreless innings. Houston's rookie opener AJ Blubaugh struggled, giving up two walks and an early run.
Astros Struggle at Home
The Astros, who made the playoffs with 81 wins and 81 losses, struggled in front of a thin home crowd of 34,011 fans. The home fans even booed the team when they fell behind early. With this loss, Houston has now lost eight straight home playoff games.
Houston tried to mount a comeback. Nelson Velazquez hit a two run home run in the fifth inning. Later, in the eighth, Jose Altuve reached on an error by third baseman Miguel Vargas, allowing Jeremy Pena to score and cut the deficit to 6-3. However, Chicago held on for the win.
Hunter Brown, who has six wins and four losses with a 3.19 ERA, will start Game 2 for Houston on Wednesday. The White Sox have not yet named their starting pitcher.
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