The Chicago White Sox are one win away from their first American League Championship Series since 2005. A sixth-inning rally powered by Braden Montgomery's go-ahead two-run double lifted Chicago to a 4-3 win over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 2 of the AL Division Series on Monday.
Chicago now leads the best-of-five series 2-0 and can close it out on Wednesday at home. Remarkably, the White Sox have won all four postseason games so far after sneaking in as the league's final wild-card berth.
The sixth-inning swing
Montgomery lined a two-out, opposite-field double off Erik Sabrowski just inside the right-field foul line, driving in Miguel Vargas and Randal Grichuk. Chase Meidroth followed with an RBI hit that plated Montgomery to make it 4-2.
Rookie Munetaka Murakami, the Game 1 hero, had started the comeback with an RBI single in the fourth that scored Kyle Teel and got Chicago on the board.
Bullpen holds the line
Sean Burke was superb in relief, pitching 5 1/3 innings of one-run, one-hit ball and retiring 13 straight batters from the fourth to the eighth. Grant Taylor earned his second save of the series with 1 1/3 innings as the staff combined on a four-hitter.
Cleveland struck first, going up 2-0 in the opening frame off Anthony Kay, and threatened late when Jo Adell's eighth-inning triple — moments after Chase DeLauter's two-out single ended Burke's night — pulled the Guardians within 4-3.
Guardians starter Gavin Williams deserved better, striking out a career postseason-high 11 over five-plus innings while giving up two runs on four hits with three walks. He topped 100 mph eight times in the first two innings.
Montgomery summed up the moment simply: "I can't even describe how it felt. It's exhilarating. I was just taking it all in."
Sources:
Reuters: Sixth-inning rally gives White Sox 2-0 ALDS lead on Guardians
Japan Times: White Sox 4, Guardians 3 — Game 2 report
Chicago now leads the best-of-five series 2-0 and can close it out on Wednesday at home. Remarkably, the White Sox have won all four postseason games so far after sneaking in as the league's final wild-card berth.
The sixth-inning swing
Montgomery lined a two-out, opposite-field double off Erik Sabrowski just inside the right-field foul line, driving in Miguel Vargas and Randal Grichuk. Chase Meidroth followed with an RBI hit that plated Montgomery to make it 4-2.
Rookie Munetaka Murakami, the Game 1 hero, had started the comeback with an RBI single in the fourth that scored Kyle Teel and got Chicago on the board.
Bullpen holds the line
Sean Burke was superb in relief, pitching 5 1/3 innings of one-run, one-hit ball and retiring 13 straight batters from the fourth to the eighth. Grant Taylor earned his second save of the series with 1 1/3 innings as the staff combined on a four-hitter.
Cleveland struck first, going up 2-0 in the opening frame off Anthony Kay, and threatened late when Jo Adell's eighth-inning triple — moments after Chase DeLauter's two-out single ended Burke's night — pulled the Guardians within 4-3.
Guardians starter Gavin Williams deserved better, striking out a career postseason-high 11 over five-plus innings while giving up two runs on four hits with three walks. He topped 100 mph eight times in the first two innings.
Montgomery summed up the moment simply: "I can't even describe how it felt. It's exhilarating. I was just taking it all in."
Sources:
Reuters: Sixth-inning rally gives White Sox 2-0 ALDS lead on Guardians
Japan Times: White Sox 4, Guardians 3 — Game 2 report
