The Chicago White Sox rolled into Progressive Field on Saturday and dropped a 3-0 victory on their Central rival Guardians in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. This wasn’t just any win, either. The White Sox have now played three playoff games, and get this: they have not trailed once. Not a single pitch. Zero.
The Bullpen Is The Starter, And It’s A Vibe
So how are they doing it? Forget the big names like Yoshinobu Yamamoto in Los Angeles or Chris Sale for Atlanta, or even Gerrit Cole and presumptive Cy Young winner Cam Schlittler for the Yankees. The White Sox are out here with five relievers in a trench coat, straight-up impersonating a starting pitcher. Manager Will Venable’s pitching plan is nothing short of fantastic, and it is executing perfectly. We’re talking about a strategy where not one of their “starters” has recorded more than 12 outs in a single game. Their winning pitchers? Relievers Jordan Hicks, Anthony Kay, and Bryan Hudson. Two of those Ws came thanks to “scorer’s discretion,” which tells you everything about this unconventional approach. Hudson snagged the win Saturday by simply getting the final out of the third inning, bailing out “starter” Hagen Smith from a bases-loaded jam. It was a massive moment, but then came an even bigger one.
Murakami’s Moonshot and Taylor’s Takeover
That bigger moment? Munetaka Murakami absolutely destroyed a Messick pitch, sending it 440 feet into the right field seats. If anyone still had doubts after his 35-homer season, a ball screaming off the bat at 112 mph will definitely shut them up. But you cannot shortchange what Grant Taylor did after that. Taylor, the team’s sometimes-closer, never pitched more than 2⅔ innings during the regular season. Yet, Venable handed him the ball and a 2-0 lead in the sixth inning, and Taylor delivered a four-inning save, striking out six and walking nobody. The dude won seven games and saved 10 this season, showing his ability to punch out hitters (11.4 per nine innings) qualified him for “whenever we need him most” duty. “Incredible. Grant has been our guy the entire year,” Venable said, and Taylor showed why on Saturday.
What’s next for these White Sox? Game 2 of this ALDS. They just beat the Guardians, a team that edged them out in a pennant race earlier this year (85-77 Guardians to 84-win White Sox). This White Sox squad lost 121 games just two years ago and 102 last year. Now? They’re 3-0 in the playoffs, never trailing, and anything feels possible. They are for real, for real.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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