These pesky young Chicago White Sox don't seem satisfied with a wild-card sweep.
Two days after winning their first playoff series in 21 years, the South Siders stormed into Cleveland and stunned the Guardians with a 3-0 shutout win at Progressive Field to take a 1-0 lead in their ALDS.
Rookie slugger Munetaka Murakami's two-run homer in the fourth inning off Guardians ace Parker Messick gave Chicago all the runs it needed. Shortstop Colson Montgomery added some more insurance with a seventh-inning RBI double. The White Sox have yet to trail in their first three postseason games this October.
Five White Sox pitchers, starting with opener Hagen Smith, combined for 12 strikeouts and limited Cleveland to three hits. Grant Taylor was dominant again, notching a four-inning save while striking out six - including the final three batters of the game - and walking none. He's the first pitcher to record a save of four-plus innings in the postseason since Houston Astros' Lance McCullers Jr. in Game 7 of the 2017 World Series, per Stathead.
The Guardians weren't without their opportunities Saturday. Cleveland loaded the bases in the bottom of the third, drawing three straight walks against Smith after he suddenly lost control of the strike zone. Left-hander Bryan Hudson relieved Smith with the bases full and two out and immediately got Chase DeLauter to fly out, ending the threat. That set the stage for Murakami's homer two batters into the top of the fourth.
The Guardians again loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the fourth against Jordan Hicks but squandered that opportunity as well when Brayan Rocchio flew out to end the frame. Another potential rally in the seventh was squashed when Steven Kwan grounded into an inning-ending double play. All told, Cleveland left seven runners on base.
Messick, a likely AL Rookie of the Year finalist and potential Cy Young candidate, was solid outside of the homer. The 25-year-old southpaw struck out six in his postseason debut and allowed fewer than three runs in his 16th straight start dating back to early July.
However, Messick also walked two and allowed four hits while failing to make it out of the fifth inning. Excluding his three-inning Game 162 start - which was essentially a tune-up for Saturday's playoff opener - Messick's latest outing marked the first time he failed to pitch five full innings since Aug. 1.
The White Sox - the first team in MLB history to reach the playoffs after consecutive 100-loss seasons - held down first place in the AL Central for much of the second half until Cleveland caught them in the final week to claim the division title and the AL's No. 2 seed. However, Chicago went 7-6 against its longtime rivals during the regular season.
Game 2 of the best-of-five series goes Monday in Cleveland. Gavin Williams, the AL strikeout leader, will start for the Guardians. The White Sox have yet to name their starter.
